


run like you stole something (my heart)

by angelic_angel



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Awkward Flirting, Background Relationships, Enemies to Lovers, Family Feud - Freeform, Fluff, Huang Ren Jun & Lee Donghyuck | Haechan Are Best Friends, Lee Donghyuck | Haechan-centric, Light Angst, M/M, Mark Lee & Wong Yuk Hei | Lucas Are Best Friends, Mark Lee (NCT) is Whipped, Mutual Pining, Secret Relationship, Sports, Swearing, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Underage Drinking, Very Cheesy, kind of, many cliches
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-15
Updated: 2020-06-07
Packaged: 2021-03-02 22:21:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 29,922
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24204295
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/angelic_angel/pseuds/angelic_angel
Summary: Despite the one-year difference in age, Lee Minhyung and Lee Donghyuck had to make up for that lost time with an intense hatred their fathers could be proud of.(Or, Donghyuck and Mark are supposed to hate each other. They end up on the same track team. Friendships, romance and general chaos ensues)
Relationships: Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Mark Lee, Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Comments: 34
Kudos: 419





	1. chapter one

**Author's Note:**

> this was supposed to be a 5k one shot lol
> 
> i just wanted to start off by saying:  
> 1\. this fic was heavily inspired by the 2014 dutch film 'jongens' (if you ever get the chance, i'd highly recommend watching it!) but it is almost entirely my own plot.  
> 2\. i know nothing about running. i ran a relay race once in high school and haven't ever since. if something requires running, i simply don't. i apologise in advance for any inaccuracies. 
> 
> i hope you enjoy reading!

Donghyuck was fourteen when he recounted the tale of the Lee versus Lee family rivalry to Renjun.

It was a swelteringly hot day, late June sunshine sizzling the skin of everyone it touched. Donghyuck felt a single droplet of sweat trickle down his neck as his chest heaved with every one of his exhausted breaths. His palms pressed against the burning tarmac of the racetrack as he and Renjun lounged lazily, too tired to continue their practice.

“Wait, let me get this straight - your dad home schooled you just because he hates some guy?” Renjun breathed out in disbelief. His red t-shirt was splotched with sweat marks and he peeled it from his chest with a grimace. Donghyuck sympathised as he glanced down at his own grey shirt, now dampened to a shade that looked disturbingly close to black.

“He’s not just some guy,” Donghyuck clarified, rolling his eyes. "He’s my dad’s literal archnemesis.”

Renjun burst out a laugh, giggling light-heartedly. “It’s all a bit dramatic.”

Donghyuck sighed, both in agreement and defeat. It was a small town and people talked. No wonder Renjun was so curious about the infamous feud, what with having just moved there.

 _“I don’t want my boys being influenced by the spawn of those devilish people,”_ Donghyuck’s father had replied when asked about his sons’ education. By the time Taeyong - Donghyuck’s older brother - reached high school, his father thought it finally safe to send his son to a real school, that there wouldn’t be any risk of purposeful interaction.

“I think my grandad was the dramatic one, but after my mum’s funeral…” he trailed off, tight-lipped and grim. “None of their family turned up and my dad got really mad about it. I think he still is, to be honest.”

“Ah,” Renjun nodded understandingly, his expression turning solemn.

Donghyuck didn’t enjoy having to explain the story to anyone that asked, and often times he chose not to, but he felt that Renjun deserved to know.

The two Lee families had been at war for as long as their town could remember. It had all begun fifty years before, when both families opened restaurants in the same neighbourhood, and it didn’t take long until they were competing against each other to see who could attract the most customers. The animosity had grown over the years and was now seemingly stronger than ever. Both restaurants had grown successfully popular over the decades into equally respected businesses within their neighbourhood, now owned by the children and children-in-law of the original owners. Yet, despite seeming like well-established businessmen, both Mr Lee and, well, Mr Lee maintained the childish rivalry their parents began decades before, so steadily, that even their own children harboured the same hatred towards the opposing family.

From the day he was born, Donghyuck had been conditioned to despise everything and anything to do with the other Lees, most notably their son Lee Minhyung. Despite the one-year difference in age, Lee Minhyung and Lee Donghyuck had to make up for that lost time with an intense hatred their fathers could be proud of. By the time Donghyuck had started high school, it was a well-known fact that he should be kept as far away from Lee Minhyung as possible lest a fight break out. Neither boy had ever even spoken a word to each other, but they had been trained to hate each other from birth and no one knew what kind of tension this would cause should the boys be put together.

Almost three years later, and it seemed that their athletics coach still hadn’t gotten the memo.

It was mid-January and Donghyuck watched as his breath clouded in the freezing air. When he was younger, he used to run around in the freezing cold, pretending he was a dragon puffing out smoke. Only Donghyuck himself had found it amusing.

He zipped his fleece jacket up until the collar covered the lower half of his face and slipped wool gloves onto his frozen hands as he ran over to Renjun, where the other boy was warming up.

“Why is it so fucking cold!” Donghyuck complained as he joined his friend, immediately starting a set of jumping jacks.

“Maybe because it’s minus three degrees celsius? Or it could be the icy coldness of your heart, freezing you slowly from the inside,” Renjun supplied sarcastically, characteristically unhelpful as per usual.

“Ha. Ha. Ha,” Donghyuck laughed sardonically. “Good one, Renjun.”

Renjun stopped exercising and bowed mockingly with an exaggerated smile.

“Thank you, ladies and gentlemen! I’m here all week!”

“Oh, fuck off,” Donghyuck laughed, pushing his friend so hard Renjun stumbled and nearly toppled over. This only made Donghyuck laugh even harder and soon Renjun joined in. Their loud laughter attracted the attention of many of the other athletes warming up beside the racetrack who all turned to watch the two boys giggling hysterically.

“I didn’t realise warm up exercises could be so entertaining. You must tell me your secret. Your teammates could all do with a bit of cheering up.”

Coach Park’s voice cut through the sound of their laughter, forcing the two boys to immediately compose themselves. The athletics coach was a tall, spindly, bespectacled man who was ages with Donghyuck’s father. He was known to be the most laid-back of their teachers and often joked around with the students, but at this moment his smile was more subdued, and his eyes were serious. Donghyuck gulped nervously and glanced at Renjun who was looking similarly anxious. Coach Park clearly noticed and his gaze softened slightly.

“Don’t worry boys, you’re not in trouble. Well, not this time at least.”

Donghyuck visibly relaxed at that, forcing their coach to chuckle lowly as his smile grew back to its usual fun-loving state.

“Lee, Huang,” he continued, nodding at both boys respectively. “Over the winter break I looked over your team’s progress and the two of you stood out to me the most. I’ve been considering this for a while, but I seriously believe that you’re both ready to move up in the ranks.”

The two boys looked at each other in shock and excitement, eyebrows raised and eyes wide.

“So, from today, you’ll be training with the senior team to prepare for championships. I think that the two of you would be an asset to the relay team, so the four of you will need to train together as often and as regularly as you can. Wong! Lee! Get over here!”

At this Donghyuck’s head snapped up. Lee? No way. Not _that_ Lee.

Donghyuck felt his excitement deflate. Lee Minhyung looked like the perfect runner as he approached – he was long-legged and slender, with just the right amount of muscle defining his legging-clad thighs and calves.

“You can’t be serious!” Donghyuck all but wailed as the two older boys approached. He watched as what looked to be an amused smile tugged at Minhyung’s mouth. Smug asshole.

“I can, and I am,” his coach replied, seeming equally as amused. Donghyuck’s mouth dropped open as he prepared to complain again, but he was interrupted by a hand clamping down on his shoulder.

“It’s not worth it, Hyuck,” Renjun muttered, noticing Donghyuck’s defensive stance. “If you argue with Coach, there’s no way he’ll keep us on the senior team.”

Donghyuck wanted to protest, but he knew his friend was right. He couldn’t risk his - and Renjun’s - futures for something as selfish as a family feud. He clamped his mouth shut instead, clenching his jaw as the two older boys arrived, standing proudly beside Coach Park. Renjun’s hand squeezed his shoulder once, before it slipped back to his side as he let out a sigh of relief. Donghyuck felt a little guilty at this, realising that his self-centred complaints could have really messed up his best friend’s plans for university.

Running club was how Donghyuck and Renjun’s friendship began. The older boy had just moved to their town from China a few weeks before they both started high school and, having no friends and a passion for running, decided to join the club. Donghyuck on the other hand did have friends, but he too had a love for the sport. They met on the day of try-outs, only to find that they had both gotten the time wrong and were there an hour early. Renjun’s accent was still a little thick and sometimes Donghyuck spoke too fast, but the two managed to hold a conversation as they waited. Before they knew it, the hour had passed, and the other hopeful students started to arrive. In the end, they both were accepted into the club, having finished their lap around the track within mere milliseconds of one another. Some would say that this made them competitors, enemies even, but their relationship ended becoming the complete opposite of that. They were friends, the best of. Soulmates, even. Not that Renjun would ever admit that. Not even if someone put a gun to his head. Well, probably not.

Now, Donghyuck needed to be the best friend he could to Renjun. The elder’s family weren’t particularly well-off, so he was planning on getting into university through an athletics scholarship. If Renjun didn’t get onto the senior track team, he was screwed. Donghyuck couldn't do that to his best friend. As Minhyung and his overgrown tree of a friend stood in front of them, Donghyuck silently promised himself that he wouldn’t do a single thing that could jeopardise Renjun’s chance at a scholarship. If he did, Donghyuck would never forgive himself.

“Ah, Mark, Yukhei!” Coach Park greeted the newcomers cheerfully. Ah, of course. After spending some time in Canada, Minhyung had become Mark. “These two boys will be your new teammates, so treat them well. I want them trained and ready to race the relay by May.”

Donghyuck almost burst out laughing when he saw the wide-eyed look of shock develop on Minhyung’s – sorry, _Mark’s_ – face. His gigantic friend, Wong Yukhei stood beside him with a similar expression. Donghyuck almost laughed, but Renjun actually did, unable to hold in the giggles bubbling inside him. Coach Park turned towards them, ever cheerful.

“Boys, I have high expectations for the both of you. I know you’re both capable of getting us that win, so don’t disappoint me.”

With that, the man turned on his heel and started off towards Donghyuck and Renjun’s newly ex-teammates.

“I will never understand that man,” Renjun laughed, shaking his head. Donghyuck nodded, agreeing silently. He wondered if Coach Park realised what he had just done. He wondered if Coach Park knew that he had just committed the cardinal sin of their town. He was forcing the two Lee families to join forces.

Donghyuck made another promise to himself: his father could never know about this.

♡

“Alright, newbies,” Yukhei boomed as the four boys reached an unoccupied area of the track. “Warmups first, then we can talk about the running order for the relay race.”

Donghyuck raised an eyebrow at this. “Shouldn’t Coach choose the order? Would that not make it fairer?”

“We’ve always chosen between our team, and it’s worked up until now.”

Donghyuck turned his head to face Mark in surprise. The older boy hadn’t spoken a single word until now. Donghyuck was shocked that, firstly, Mark’s first words had been spoken to him and secondly, that there had been no animosity in them whatsoever. In fact, Donghyuck couldn’t identify a single emotion in Mark’s voice. His tone was just so… neutral. Like he didn’t care. For some reason, Donghyuck felt himself grow irritated at this, but he daren’t do anything about it. He couldn't, for Renjun’s sake.

“Wouldn’t it be biased if we choose by ourselves?” Renjun asked out of nowhere, his tone somewhat challenging. Well, Donghyuck thought. He could stop himself from doing something stupid, but not a soul in the world could control Huang Renjun. Donghyuck had almost forgotten how steadfastly stubborn his best friend was. He watched as both Mark and Yukhei frowned at Renjun’s comment, obviously not pleased that their junior was questioning their methods.

Yukhei sighed. “Look, we don’t just pick whoever we like best. We decide based on who’s the best at what position, so don’t get mad just because you’re not good enough to run last.”

This time it was Donghyuck’s turn to stop Renjun from saying something that could get them kicked off the team before they were even really on it.

“Alright, we get it,” Donghyuck interrupted what was surely going to be an insult containing a number of expletives from Renjun. “As long as the decision’s made democratically, we’ll deal with it.”

Donghyuck still wasn’t entirely convinced that choosing the running order without any input from Coach Park was a sensible decision, but he didn’t want to cause an unnecessary argument.

“Good,” Mark said, the finality of his voice indicating that the dispute was over. Silently, Donghyuck felt relieved, but he would never admit that. No one could know that Donghyuck’s initial impression of Mark was nothing like his father had him believe.

Yukhei raised an eyebrow at the passiveness of Mark’s comment but said nothing about it. Instead he ordered the newest members of the team to begin preparing for a lap around the track. Donghyuck and Renjun both sighed, but rather than complain, they began stretching. This was going to be a long four months.

As they were warming up, Donghyuck found himself watching Mark curiously. The older boy was much more serious than he had anticipated and nothing like the reckless teen Donghyuck’s father had described him to be. As Mark started a set of lunges, Donghyuck began to think something rather disturbing. What if his father was wrong about the other Lee’s? What if he was wrong about Mark?

Before he could think much more, Renjun mercifully nudged Donghyuck, his expression one of concern.

“You alright, Hyuck?” he whispered, making sure the other boys couldn’t hear him. Donghyuck blinked, his train of thought disturbed.

“I’m fine, just tired,” he assured Renjun, as he too began lunging. Renjun, seemingly satisfied with Donghyuck’s answer, went back to his jumping jacks. Donghyuck found his gaze slipping back to Mark.

I’m fine, he thought. Just peachy.

♡

“Dad, our little Donghyuckie has arrived home,” Taeyong laughed loudly as he pulled his younger brother into a headlock. Donghyuck groaned frustratedly as his brother began ruffling his hair as soon as he walked through the door. They were practically the same height (a fact that Taeyong still struggled to admit) yet Donghyuck suddenly felt so much smaller, so much younger than his brother.

“Donghyuck, you’re back!”

Donghyuck felt a smile grow on his face, while guilt invisibly swirled in his gut. How was he going to look his father in the eye with the knowledge that he was now basically allies with a member of the other Lee family. _The other Lees_. That’s what his dad always called them, while he called Donghyuck’s own family the better Lees. It was stupid really, and absolutely childish, but it had gone on for so long that Donghyuck’s father seemed to believe that they really were the better family. After the events of his mother’s funeral, Donghyuck found it hard to argue with him.

“Hey, Dad!” Donghyuck greeted his father, his voice strained as Taeyong’s arm was still wrapped around his head.

“Coach Park didn’t go too hard on you today, I hope,” his father joked with a laugh. Donghyuck didn’t feel like laughing at his father’s light-hearted question. He gulped nervously, his throat drying with the lie he was about to tell.

“No, he actually promoted me today! Renjun too,” he exclaimed with partially faux excitement. Of course, he was ecstatic to have been moved up a rank, but he was less excited that his newest teammate happened to be Mark. In fact, he felt slightly nauseous at the thought.

“That’s fantastic! I knew you had it in you, son.”

Donghyuck almost sighed in relief, realising that his father hadn’t noticed how nervous he really was. Taeyong, on the other hand, seemed slightly harder to convince. Donghyuck felt his stomach drop as his brother’s arm finally released his head, allowing Donghyuck to glare at his brother, red faced and sweating, only to find Taeyong eyes narrowed at him curiously. Shit. He should’ve known that his older brother would see right through his façade. Then, the inquisitive squint morphed into something much more neutral. Oh no.

“Come on, Donghyuckie, I’ll show you the new game I bought!” Taeyong suddenly suggested, tugging at Donghyuck’s arm. Donghyuck resisted for a moment, recognising that Taeyong didn’t actually want to show him a video game. No. Taeyong was about to interrogate him. He looked at his older brother with pleading eyes, but Taeyong ignored him and instead tugged on Donghyuck’s arm harder.

“Alright boys, don’t be too long. Dinner will be ready soon,” their father acquiesced as Taeyong pulled Donghyuck further and further out of the living room. “Oh, and congratulations Donghyuck! We’ll have a nice dinner this weekend to celebrate.”

And with that final, guilt inducing comment, Taeyong gave Donghyuck’s arm one last tug. This time, Donghyuck let him and before he knew it, he was being dragged into his brother’s room, the door slamming shut behind him.

“Spill it,” Taeyong immediately demanded, his voice low, but not angry. Donghyuck glanced nervously at his brother before dropping his eyes to his feet. Hesitatingly, he shuffled towards Taeyong’s unmade bed before dropping onto it unceremoniously, the springs of the mattress complaining with a loud creak as he did. In his peripheral vision he watched as Taeyong silently did the same, the mattress dipping under their weight.

Donghyuck had never been able to lie to his brother, about even the smallest of things. He remembered several years ago when Donghyuck has been messing around on Taeyong’s computer, playing games on a vaguely dodgy website, and had accidentally infected it with a virus. Being only eleven at the time, Donghyuck thought that he could lie his way out of it, not willing to admit that he was stupid enough to click on an ad titled: _You’ve won a ticket to Michael Jackson’s concert, click here to collect!_ With one look Taeyong could tell it was his younger brother’s fault. The fact that Michael Jackson had died several years prior and that Donghyuck was a massive fan probably aided in Taeyong’s investigation.

This, however, was so much worse than any computer virus. This was admitting to breaking one of their father’s golden rules, and probably the worst of them all. Donghyuck began to fidget under his brother’s relentless gaze, twiddling his thumbs nervously. _He_ knew that _Taeyong_ knew that he was guilty of something. The fact that Donghyuck, who very rarely shut up, hadn’t said a word in the past five minutes was proof enough.

“Come on, Hyuckie, what’s wrong,” Taeyong pressed, his tone becoming more insistent. “You can tell me anything, you know. I won’t say a word to Dad, I swear.”

“You promise?” Donghyuck burst out desperately, turning to face his brother for the first time since they’d entered the room. “Promise you won’t say a word, no matter what I tell you?”

Taeyong looked shocked at Donghyuck’s outburst, clearly not expecting his brother to sound so panicked.

“I, uh, yeah of course,” Taeyong stuttered out, his eyes wide. “Jeez Donghyuck, what did you do? You’re not marrying one of the other Lees, are you?”

He knew that his brother was only trying to lighten the mood with his joke, but Donghyuck still found himself freezing up. With the two of them sitting so close, Taeyong noticed how Donghyuck’s muscles had tensed as he remained silent.

“You’re not, right?” Taeyong asked, sounding more serious.

“No, of course not!” Donghyuck scoffed, and he would’ve laughed if he hadn’t been so nervous. “No, I’m not _marrying_ one of them.”

“But it has got something to do with them, doesn’t it?” Taeyong seemed to realise out loud, his voice filled with understanding. For a moment, Donghyuck didn’t say anything, still hesitating. Then, with a deep breath, he nodded.

“Mark,” he breathed out, feeling a weight lift from his shoulders as his body relaxed, no longer frozen up. “It’s Mark.”

“The kid that went to Canada?” Taeyong asked, more for confirmation than in curiosity. Donghyuck hummed in response.

“He’s one of my new teammates,” he confessed, his voice barely more than a whisper. “What am I going to do? I can’t avoid him. I can’t even avoid talking to him. What do I do?”

Donghyuck knew that he sounded desperate and pathetic, but he didn’t know how he was going to be able to stay on the senior team while keeping his father in the dark. Whilst Donghyuck could confide in Renjun, his friend wouldn’t get it. Not like his brother. Taeyong was the only person who would understand their situation, knew how seriously their father took this seemingly ridiculous rivalry.

“You don’t do anything,” Taeyong finally said. Donghyuck stared confusedly at his brother.

“What?” he asked dumbly.

“You don’t do anything,” Taeyong repeated. “Just do what you would do if it wasn’t Mark. Train together, compete together. I’m not saying you should become friends with the guy, but if you act like it’s a big deal, it’ll become one.”

“But what about-”

“Don’t worry about Dad,” Taeyong interrupted, his voice soothing. “Just don’t tell him. I’ll cover for you if you need me to. I know it’ll be hard, but sometimes you need to think about yourself.”

It took a moment for Taeyong’s words to sink in, but as soon as they did, Donghyuck tackled his brother with a hug. He didn’t say a word, even as a lone tear slipped from his eyes, but he didn’t need to. Taeyong understood and hugged Donghyuck back. Neither boy said a word until their father called them for dinner.

Donghyuck could act like everything was fine. Like, everything was normal. He could.

Couldn’t he?

♡

One week later, Donghyuck could confirm that everything was not fine, and was generally quite far from what he considered to be normal. He had successfully managed to avoid letting anything slip to his father, but that was mainly due to the fact he had pretty much avoided the topic of running altogether. He could probably only do that for so long, though, before even his father began to grow suspicious as Donghyuck usually spent a lot of his time talking about running. It was the only thing he was any good at. Donghyuck probably needed to find a new hobby. Fast.

The dinner he had shared that weekend with his father and Taeyong had been difficult to get through without bringing up track since that was why they were having such a nice meal in the first place. At one point Donghyuck’s father had even asked who his new teammates were, but before he could even stutter out a poorly disguised lie, Taeyong butted in with “It’s just Renjun and two other seniors, isn’t it?” and their father was left none the wiser, not even thinking to ask for the names of these two mysterious seniors.

Having somehow survived that dinner miraculously unscathed, Donghyuck was now awaiting another training session with his new team. Renjun was running late so Donghyuck was left standing at the side of the track, lips blue from the icy air, and alone. Well, for approximately five minutes, anyway. After three hundred seconds all on his lonesome, Donghyuck heard someone approaching him from the left. Thinking it to be Renjun, he turned to address his friend, only for his greeting to be cut short as someone who was absolutely not Renjun arrived in front of him.

“Lee.”

Donghyuck blinked at Mark’s acknowledgement of his existence. They had never really spoken to each other before the previous week, and they certainly had never been alone together. In fact, Donghyuck sometimes wondered if Mark even knew he existed outside of their rivalry.

“Lee,” Donghyuck nodded shortly in response. And then neither of them said a word. Or moved. Or did anything really.

God, it was awkward.

“Yeah, it really is,” Mark agreed. Wait-

“Fuck, I said that out loud didn’t I,” Donghyuck gasped, covering his mouth with his hands. He really needed to work on his brain-to-mouth filter.

“Yeah, you did,” Mark laughed, shaking his head in amusement.

He _laughed_. At something _Donghyuck_ had said. This day was proving to be unusually strange. Donghyuck didn’t know what to do other than laugh too. Then, their laughter died down and the silence returned, as did the awkwardness.

Just as Donghyuck was beginning to slowly die inside, Renjun mercifully appeared, who was surprisingly being tailed by Yukhei. Leave it to Renjun to walk _with_ someone but not _beside_ them. The only reason Donghyuck could tell that they were walking together was because Yukhei was clearly chatting Renjun’s ear off. The funniest part was the way Renjun acted as though he were alone.

“Is your friend always like that?” Mark suddenly asked, also watching their fellow teammates cross the track.

“Like what?” Donghyuck asked, almost snickering as he witnessed Yukhei trip over his own feet in an attempt to keep up with Renjun’s speedy pace.

“Oblivious,” Mark responded, sounding far too amused for it being so early in the day. Donghyuck wasn’t able to fully express a single emotion other than irritation or existential dread until at least midday.

“Oblivious? To what?” Donghyuck questioned, completely befuddled. He heard Mark huff out another laugh from beside him.

“It’s not just him, then,” was all the older boy managed to say before Renjun and Yukhei arrived.

“Lovely morning,” Yukhei greeted, his breath clouding in the cold air. “Isn’t it?”

Then last part of his sentence seemed to be directed at Renjun who didn’t look any more interested in Yukhei than he had been thirty seconds before.

“It is a lovely morning,” Mark agreed as he clapped his hand against his friend’s shoulder in a seemingly comforting manner. The two began a quiet conversation as Donghyuck turned to face Renjun, who already looked exhausted.

“Lovely morning, isn’t it?” Donghyuck teased, imitating Yukhei’s overly cheerful tone. This was of course greeted by a “Fuck off, Hyuck” and an aggressive shove from Renjun, causing Donghyuck to laugh loudly as he nearly tumbled to the ground.

Things were definitely not normal, but maybe they would be fine.

♡

“Dude, I can’t believe Coach Park has literally ended a fifty-year feud in one week.”

“Shut up, Jaemin, he hasn’t ended anything. My dad still hates Mr Lee’s guts and by extension I hate Mark’s.”

“Ooh, so he’s just Mark now. What are you guys? Friends? Enemies? _Looovers_?”

“Shut up, Jaemin!”

“Yes, please stop talking.”

“Leave poor Hyuckie alone, he’s already suffered enough!”

It was a regular Friday night at Jaemin’s house and the four boys - namely Donghyuck, Renjun, Jeno and Jaemin himself - were all sat in his room throwing verbal abuse and non-verbal pillows at the host. It had become tradition halfway through their first year at high school that every Friday night they would rotate houses and spend the evening playing games, eating ridiculously greasy junk food and insulting one another. As much as Donghyuck loved his other friends, he secretly loved the nights spent at Jaemin’s house the best. Jaemin’s family were well off and their house was probably one of the biggest in town. In fact, it was so big that it even had a games room with a bar and pool table. Not that they had ever touched the bar. Ever.

The four boys were sprawled leisurely around Jaemin’s spacious room (and yeah, maybe Donghyuck had fibbed a little) as they passed about a bottle of strangely flavoured vodka. Jaemin claimed it was vanilla but Donghyuck wasn’t entirely convinced. Each mouthful burned his throat and made him want to vomit, no matter the flavour. It seemed that Jeno shared the sentiment as his face screwed up after one particularly generous sip. None of them were drunk, but Donghyuck could tell that they were all a little tipsy. Even Renjun looked unusually dishevelled, his eyes a little glassy and his cheeks flushed pink. Everything seemed so fuzzy and warm, and it made Donghyuck smile subconsciously despite the fact they had all been smacking Jaemin in the face with pillows mere moments ago.

“Are you friends?” Jeno suddenly asked, his speech slurring a little as the words tripped over his tongue. Donghyuck frowned and his stomach churned. Maybe he was a bit drunk after all.

“What, with Mark?” he asked, more to himself than any of his friends. Jeno hummed affirmatively. Two weeks had passed since he and Renjun had been promoted to the senior team. Two days had passed since Donghyuck’s rather awkward conversation with Mark, if it could even be called that.

“I don’t think so,” Donghyuck replied after a few moments of careful (read: drunken) consideration. “I don’t know if I even like him very much.”

“I like him,” Renjun piped up from where he was sprawled across Jaemin’s lap. “I think he’s nice. Yukhei too.”

“I thought you hated them both,” Donghyuck mumbled, his frown deepening. He couldn’t figure out if it was just his alcohol-fuddled brain, but he was very confused. “Yukhei especially.”

Disturbingly, Renjun giggled in response.

“I only act like I hate them,” Renjun hiccupped. “I can’t be friends with people I see as my competition. It just gets messy.”

Donghyuck was sure that it wasn’t just the alcohol that was affecting his capacity to understand the conversation. “But we’re on the same team as them?”

“Yeah, but I know that they’re better than me,” Renjun explained, his eyes fluttering closed as he nestled his head against Jaemin’s thigh. It didn’t look like Jaemin had even noticed as he had begun to stare at his ceiling as if it was the most interesting book he had ever read.

“I know that it’ll be between me and one of them for the last position in the relay, and I really can’t afford to lose it,” Renjun continued, his voice growing sleepy. “I don’t want to become their friend, only to get hurt in the end.”

Donghyuck wasn’t confused anymore. He understood where Renjun was coming from. To Donghyuck running was fun, it was a hobby, his passion even, but it wasn’t something he could see himself ever doing professionally. He was good, but not good enough to sail into college on a scholarship. Renjun, on the other hand, lived and breathed the sport. It was what got him up in the morning, and it was what he dreamed about at night. Renjun had to be the best. He couldn’t afford not to be.

Jaemin was still staring at his ceiling, with a now sleeping Renjun curled up in his lap. Donghyuck turned to Jeno who was looking much more sober than he probably felt, watching Renjun sleep with a sad look in his eyes.

“I think you should be friends with Mark,” he said to Donghyuck, his voice just as sad. “And Yukhei. I think Renjun should be too.”

Donghyuck didn’t say anything as he patted Jeno’s thigh, but they both knew what his answer would be. He felt Jeno scoot closer to him before a head landed on his shoulder. Jaemin was asleep now too, his head resting against the wall behind him. It would be nice to have more friends, Donghyuck thought as he watched Renjun sniffle in his sleep. It would be very nice.

And then he was asleep too.

♡

“I was speaking to coach earlier today and he thinks we should probably get around to deciding the running order for the relay,” Yukhei announced as Donghyuck and Renjun approached, having just left the changing room for their afternoon practice. Donghyuck was still struggling to unstick his zip which had caught in the fabric of his fleece. He was cold and he just wanted to be able to zip it shut so that he would be warm and-

A pair of gloveless hands appeared out of nowhere, and with a particularly vicious tug, zipped Donghyuck’s fleece closed. He had been trying all day to do what these hands had done in a matter of seconds. Donghyuck looked up and was faced with Mark, whose face was a little closer than he had anticipated.

Mark had a nice face, Donghyuck suddenly thought. High cheekbones, big eyes, a slightly crooked smile. He wasn’t model tall like Yukhei, and he didn’t have a pretty smile like Jaemin, but Mark was still… attractive? Well, objectively, of course. Donghyuck was disturbed from his reverie by something sharp digging into his abdomen. Donghyuck flinched at the pain shooting through his side, his gaze breaking from Mark’s face. Quickly turning away from the older boy, whose eyes still seemed to be on him, he glared at Renjun who was watching Donghyuck with a raised eyebrow.

“Hey, that hurt!” Donghyuck whined at Renjun who was standing next to him with an evil smirk spread across his face.

“It’s not my fault you were distracted,” Renjun conceded, his hands up in a sign of surrender. “Were you even listening to Wong?”

“You know you can just call me Yukhei, right?” the tall boy interrupted, but Renjun just waved a hand at him, ignoring the question as per usual.

Donghyuck felt his cheeks flush when he realised that he had been staring at Mark, so intently, that he hadn’t even realised Yukhei had been talking to him. What was going on? And why on earth was Mark still looking at him?

Donghyuck cleared his throat awkwardly and started rubbing the back of his neck fidgetily as he spoke. “Sorry, just zoned out a bit,” he apologised sheepishly.

“It’s alright, it happens to the best of us,” Yukhei reassured, smiling widely. “As I was saying, I think now would be a good time to decide the running order. Any objections?”

The three other boys shook their heads simultaneously, but of the corner of his eye, Donghyuck could see Renjun clenching his fists nervously. He discreetly wrapped a hand around Renjun’s arm and squeezed comfortingly, but the older boy remained frozen with worry. Donghyuck silently begged every deity and god he knew of to help his friend. He was worried that if Renjun didn’t get the last position, that he would give up running altogether, and Donghyuck couldn’t let that happen.

Twenty minutes later, the decision had been made.

Renjun would run last.

Donghyuck didn’t think he had ever seen his friend smile so brightly. It made him smile too.

He smiled a little less when he was given the position of first runner.

His smile disappeared when it was announced that he would be followed by Mark.

♡

A month had passed since the four boys had begun training together, but the cold weather remained. It was Valentine’s Day and Donghyuck was spending the hour before the school day began jogging laps around the racetrack. The thin layer of frost carpeting the ground glittered in the early morning sun and crunched under Donghyuck’s feet as they slapped against it. His pace was steady and his breath came out evenly in clouds of frozen air. Everything was so peaceful. It was rare that Donghyuck had the opportunity to run alone, without the chatter of his teammates or orders from his coach. It reminded Donghyuck of why he loved running so much. Usually, he liked to run with music playing in his ears, but something about the tranquillity of the morning air left him wanting to appreciate it in all its natural beauty.

Not much had changed in the weeks that had passed since the appointment of their running positions. Renjun still worked hard, Yukhei still ordered them about and Donghyuck and Mark still avoided spending too much time together. There was, however, one slight obstacle in the way of that last one. Since Renjun had been selected as last runner, he’d been acting much friendlier towards the two older boys, clearly no longer seeing them as a threat to his own success. In fact, Yukhei had managed to make Renjun laugh during one of last week’s practices. Out loud. Donghyuck had been simultaneously disturbed and endeared. He thought back to that night at Jaemin’s, the way Jeno had drunkenly urged them to befriend their new teammates. For once, Renjun was the one taking the initiative. Donghyuck, on the other hand, still found himself freezing up anytime Mark so much as glanced at him.

Donghyuck hadn’t realised it, but he was running much faster than he had initially planned, his legs moving furiously along the racetrack. Sweating profusely and breathing heavily, Donghyuck slowed himself down to a halt before sauntering over to where he’d left his bag. The cool air had left his bottle of water nice and icy cold, and Donghyuck gulped it down eagerly. He nearly spat it all out again when a voice called on him out of nowhere, startling him more than was socially acceptable.

“Donghyuck!”

Gracelessly swallowing his water, Donghyuck turned to face one of his old teammates. Park Jisung, Jaemin’s younger cousin, was a tall, spindly boy but god, was he fast. Donghyuck would bet money on the younger boy joining the senior team next year.

“Where the fuck did you come from?” Donghyuck frowned, sure that Jisung had simply materialised out of thin air.

“I’ve been here for like five minutes,” Jisung laughed, grabbing Donghyuck’s water and taking an obnoxiously loud gulp. Disrespectful brat. “Wanted to get some training in before it got busy.”

“Yeah,” Donghyuck agreed, squinting as the sun rose, blasting bright light across the racetrack. “Me too. It’s nice like this. Quiet.”

Jisung hummed in response. “Enjoying life at the top now?”

“I suppose,” Donghyuck answered thoughtfully. He wouldn’t exactly describe being stuck with Mark Lee as having reached the top. “It’s better than being stuck with you lot anyway.”

“Hey! I’m gonna tell Jaemin you said that,” Jisung whined jokingly.

“Tell him. See if I care,” Donghyuck announced with false nonchalance, a playful smirk teasing his mouth. Bad move. Jisung still had his water bottle. Seconds later, Jisung was giggling, looking far too pleased with himself, and Donghyuck was looking rather sorry for himself, his face dripping with the remnants of his water bottle.

As much as Donghyuck loved his old teammates, he definitely didn’t miss them.

♡

Thankfully, Donghyuck managed to dry off by the time lunch came around, but his mood soured as entered the cafeteria. It was like someone had vomited the embodiment Valentine’s Day over every corner of the room in the worst, most garish way possible. As he approached their usual table, it looked as though the others, particularly Renjun, shared the sentiment.

“This is actually nauseating,” Donghyuck announced, gesturing to the tacky pink-and-red heart shaped banners lining the walls and ceiling.

“My eyes will never be the same,” Jaemin lamented dramatically, taking a purposeful sip from his juice box. Renjun snorted, amused by Jaemin’s pain, before stealing the carton right out of the younger boy’s hands.

“I mean, I knew it was going to be bad,” Jeno added, stabbing at a heart shaped meatball with his fork. “But, I didn’t think they would take it so far.”

“I swear to god, Coach Park was wearing heart shaped glasses,” Renjun piped up from beside him, looking comically disturbed by the sight of sweet, lovely Jeno viciously destroying the meatball.

Donghyuck laughed relievedly. “I’m so glad you said that. I just thought I was so tired that my mind had started playing tricks on me.” He looked mournfully at his own meatballs before shoving it in his mouth with a satisfied hum.

“Yeah, I thought that too when I saw someone stick a card in Renjun’s locker,” Jeno commented with an innocuous giggle.

Donghyuck started choking on his food. Renjun looked like he’d just turned to stone, eyes wide and unmoving.

“What?” Donghyuck wheezed, helplessly reaching for his drink. “Who?”

“No idea,” Jeno shrugged as Jaemin began smacking Donghyuck on the back. “I just know it was a boy.”

Donghyuck started choking even harder. It felt like his soul was about to leave his body with how hard Jaemin was hitting his back. Renjun remained suspiciously quiet, not looking anywhere near as curious as Donghyuck would’ve expected.

“A boy?” he echoed, smacking Jaemin’s hand away. A card? For Renjun? From a boy? On Valentine’s Day?

“Maybe it was someone planting a letter bomb,” Donghyuck reasoned out loud. Renjun did not look impressed, sending Donghyuck a withering glare. “Or not. It was just a guess.”

The four soon resumed their meal, Renjun not saying a word about his secret admirer other than confirming that he had indeed received a card. Donghyuck thought Renjun knew more than he was letting on, but he wasn’t Jaemin, so he didn’t push for an answer. Not yet, anyway. Every so often the boys would pause their conversation, glancing disgustedly at the horrific decorations. It looked like the interior of a five-year-old girl’s birthday party. All that was missing was the cake and candles. Maybe then they could set the whole place on fire and everything down.

“Speaking of birthdays,” Donghyuck started, garnering the attention of his friends who all sent him looks of confusion.

“We weren’t talking about birthdays?” Renjun said, looking worriedly in Donghyuck’s direction.

“I was, just to myself,” he clarified, ignoring the way Jeno’s eyebrows raised and Jaemin patted his back, in a way that was more soothing than a deceivingly helpful attempt at preventing asphyxiation. “Anyway, I forgot to say – Taeyong’s friend is having a thing tonight and he said we could come along. You guys up for it?”

Before any of them said a single word, Donghyuck already knew what the answer would be.

Happy fucking Valentine’s Day.

♡

Donghyuck regretted every decision he had ever made that had led up to this particular moment. He must have done something really terrible in his past life to have to ended up locked in a bathroom.

At a party.

In a stranger’s house.

With Mark Lee.

First, we must return to the moment where it all began.

Donghyuck, along with Renjun, Jeno, Jaemin, Taeyong and Taeyong’s friend Johnny, arrived at the house of someone called Jung Jaehyun. According to Taeyong (always a reliable and credible source), it was Jaehyun’s birthday and to “distract the singles from their sad and lonely little lives” he was hosting a party as an opportunity for all the singles to get fucked up beyond belief. Donghyuck thought it was nice, a little inclusivity for those who didn’t celebrate Valentine’s Day, but he wasn’t sure how to take the sad and lonely little lives part. In stride, he supposed.

It wasn’t immediately obvious that a party was going on inside the house. The curtains were drawn shut and there weren’t many people hanging around in the garden, but as soon as the front door opened, it was difficult to disguise the thumping music and loud chattering.

“Happy birthday, bro!” Taeyong yelled, throwing an arm around a tall, handsome guy whose bright smile was bracketed by a deep set of dimples. This was presumably the Jaehyun Donghyuck had not heard very much about.

“Glad you guys could make it,” Jaehyun laughed, returning the hug, before gesturing for the rest of them to enter the house. Johnny greeted Jaehyun in a similar way to Taeyong, all smiles and bro hugs. Donghyuck hoped he and his friends wouldn’t end up like that after they graduated. Too many of those frat boy handshakes couldn’t be good for one’s wellbeing.

“Bottle openers and cups are in the kitchen, bedrooms are off limits and don’t lock the bathroom door,” Jaehyun listed off as he led the group into the hallway, past huddles of teenagers chatting with red cups in hand. “It sticks and I would prefer it if no one got trapped inside.”

“What do we do if someone comes in while we’re pissing?” Donghyuck asked, wincing as he imagined such a scenario.

Jaehyun laughed at the question. “Yell at them, I guess,” he supplied helpfully, before grabbing Taeyong and Johnny by the shoulders and leading them further into the house. Taeyong turned back to face Donghyuck and the others but offered nothing more than a peace sign before disappearing into one of the rooms. Great. Abandoned already and they’d only just arrived.

“Anyone want a drink?” Jeno asked as the four of them stood awkwardly in the hallway. The immediate response was a relieved chorus of muttered affirmatives. Jeno began leading them down the hall towards what they hoped to be the kitchen, zigzagging through the groups clustered along the way.

It appeared that the kitchen was just as busy as the hallway, and presumably everywhere else in the house, forcing the quartet to squeeze their way through to the table laden with cups and mixers of every kind. Donghyuck reached for the bottle opener as Renjun passed him a beer from the bag he’d been carrying.

Their father had easily agreed to the idea of Donghyuck accompanying Taeyong to the party, so long as they came home together and stuck to the alcohol he had bought them. Donghyuck recalled one of their infamous Friday nights at Jaemin’s in which they’d all been a little too excited at the prospect of Alcohol™ and had been a little too adventurous with their concoctions. Donghyuck shuddered at the memory, vowing to never have a repeat of such a night for as long as he could help it. He’d never been able to look at rum the same way ever since.

By the time the four boys were all happily guzzling down their beers, the party looked to have doubled in size, the rooms more crowed, the air more humid and the music louder. They hadn’t been there for much more than half an hour, but they had already set up camp in a distant corner of the kitchen, close enough to fellow partiers to feel like they were actually in the party, but secluded enough that the music wasn’t too loud to have a conversation over. They were all listening to Jaemin excitedly describe his parents’ plan to build a pool in his garden when a loud laugh sounded from the other side of the kitchen. An all too familiar laugh.

“Ah shit,” Renjun muttered as he glanced over Donghyuck’s shoulder. “You’re not gonna like this, Hyuck.”

Donghyuck had long resigned himself to the fact that life would never go his way. He was now refuting his resignation as Wong Yukhei approached their group, followed closely by none other than Mark Lee.

“Hyuckie, Junnie!” Yukhei shouted drunkenly, wrapping his long arms around their shoulders, and pulling them close. Both Donghyuck and Renjun glanced at one another with raised eyebrows.

“Hyuckie, Junnie,” Jaemin sing-songed teasingly, swinging his legs against the counter he was sat on. “Aren’t you going to introduce Jeno and I to your friends?”

Donghyuck snorted at Jaemin’s childish act, extracting himself from Yukhei’s alcohol-loosened grip.

“Jaemin, Jeno,” Donghyuck nodded at each of his friends respectively. “This is Yukhei.” The tall boy perked up as he heard his name, waving excitedly. Jaemin and Jeno waved back with matched enthusiasm, clearly amused by Yukhei’s drunken mannerisms.

“And you must be Mark,” Jaemin smirked, his eyes focusing just behind Donghyuck.

“Um, yeah,” Mark replied, his voice sounding far closer than Donghyuck had anticipated. If he thought a little too hard, he swore he could feel the heat radiating from Mark’s body against his back.

“We’ve heard _sooo_ much about you,” Jaemin continued with his Cheshire-like grin, pointedly ignoring Donghyuck’s warning glare.

“You have?” Mark sounded surprised, and a little too pleased.

Jaemin laughed loudly above the noise of the party. “Of course! Everyone knows that you and Donghyuck hate each other. It’s a Lee thing.”

Donghyuck felt himself freeze, and somehow, he felt Mark do the same. If looks could kill, Jaemin would be a mess of bloody limbs on the floor and Donghyuck would be serving a life sentence in a high security prison. Jeno was watching the exchange with wide eyes, and even Yukhei had stopped chatting Renjun’s ear off, eager to get in on the drama.

“Ah, yeah,” Mark eventually replied, sounding rather deflated. Donghyuck downed the last of his beer while the others watched in uncomfortable silence.

“I need to piss,” was all Donghyuck said in regard to the situation before winding his way back through the crowded kitchen in search of the bathroom.

Back out in the hallway, it was less busy than before. It looked as if everyone had migrated to the living room, where the music was the loudest and the population of drunkards at its highest. The music thumped throughout the house, urging Donghyuck to double his efforts in his search for the bathroom. He eventually found it located near the front of the house, letting out a sigh of relief when he discovered that it was mercifully empty. He instinctively moved to twist the lock, but remembered Jaehyun’s warning just in time, choosing to move the small bin to block the door instead. It wasn’t very heavy and did little to act as a working barricade, but it made Donghyuck feel just a little safer.

It felt much quieter in the small confines of the bathroom and Donghyuck revelled in it, closing the toilet seat before sitting down with an exhausted huff. He’d been having fun, but it was only a matter of time before things would eventually turn sour. Donghyuck, nor any of his friends, had expected Mark Lee to come tonight. Donghyuck wasn’t sure he would’ve come had he known. Why was Mark here? How did he know these people? Why did he have to ruin all the fun?

Donghyuck knew that, technically, part of the onus was on Jaemin for the way he handled introductions, but he couldn’t blame his friend. If Donghyuck wasn’t always so awkward around Mark, always complaining about him, always listening to what his dad said about him, none of this would have happened. A loud cheer sounded from somewhere else in the house, but Donghyuck couldn’t find it in himself to feel even remotely curious. He knew that he’d have to return to the party, return to his friends, soon, but he wanted this moment to last a little longer.

It seemed that the universe had other plans for him.

The handle on the bathroom door twisted squeakily, and Donghyuck was preparing to yell at the intruder, when a head popped around the door. It was Mark. Donghyuck couldn’t hide his shock, his eyes widening as, instead of leaving like any normal person would do when they entered an occupied bathroom, Mark nudged the bin with his toe and entered the bathroom, shutting the door behind him.

“Hey.”

“Hi.”

Silence. And then:

“Do you need to take a leak?”

“No.”

“Oh. Why are you here then?”

“Just… because.”

“Just because? You’re not some weird pervert, are you?”

“What? No! No, I just… I just wanted to make sure you were okay. After what happened back there.” Mark wasn’t looking at Donghyuck, his gaze locked pointedly on his own feet.

“What happened?” Donghyuck knew he was being pedantic, but he was also nothing if not a procrastinator.

“You know, the whole Jaemin saying we hate each other thing.” Mark sounded sad. Donghyuck felt sad.

“Oh. Sorry about him, he doesn’t know when to shut up most of the time. Actually, he doesn’t know when to shut up at all. Ever.”

Mark laughed. Donghyuck laughed too, short and stilted.

Mark walked further into the bathroom, choosing to sit across from Donghyuck, perching on the edge of the bathtub. It groaned under his weight and Donghyuck snickered at the panicked look on Mark’s face.

“If it breaks, we can just blame it someone else,” Donghyuck advised as Mark hovered over the tub before choosing to just stand instead. Something about the way Mark gazed down at Donghyuck made him feel warm. Too warm. It was almost suffocating.

“A-are you upset?” Donghyuck stuttered, looking up at Mark as the elder leaned against the tiled wall. “About what Jaemin said? About us hating each other?”

Mark didn’t say anything for a few seconds, his brow furrowed in a thoughtful frown.

“I guess,” he eventually answered. “I mean, I don’t hate you.”

Donghyuck felt his breath hitch and his stomach twist. Those words – they meant too much, held too much weight. Mark didn’t have to say anything more, but Donghyuck knew exactly what he was trying to say. His eyes flew to Mark’s, catching the other’s gaze immediately. Donghyuck felt like he was unable to move with the way Mark’s eyes pinned him down. _Mark_ knew that _Donghyuck_ knew, and he was waiting for Donghyuck to say something, to confirm or deny what he thought to be true. Donghyuck didn’t feel ready. He needed to leave. He needed to talk to Renjun, Jeno, even Jaemin. He couldn’t do this. Not here, in this bathroom. Not now, as the music seemed to get heavier, the bass vibrating the walls.

“Donghyuck,” Mark breathed, his voice almost pleading. “I-”

A loud thump sounded from the door.

“Hyuckie, are you in there?”

It was Taeyong.

Another thump.

“Yeah, I’m in here,” he called back, tearing his eyes from Mark’s.

“Are you okay?” That sounded like Jeno.

“I’m fine,” Donghyuck replied, his brow twisting into a confused frown. “Why? Should I not be okay?”

Taeyong voice sounded through the door, sounding much too nervous for Donghyuck’s liking. “The door’s locked.”

And that brings us back to Donghyuck’s current predicament. An undeterminable amount of time later and Taeyong was no closer to freeing the two boys from the confines of the bathroom. The party was still raging on elsewhere in the house, and every so often Donghyuck would recognise the song belting from the living room. He had never wanted to join the heart of a party more than he did now. He wouldn’t even mind getting some randomer’s drink thrown over him if it meant he could get out of the bathroom.

Neither boy had said a word since Mark confessed that he must’ve accidentally locked the door upon his entry. Donghyuck hadn’t even deigned that with a reply and had instead chosen the route of silence, refusing to even accept Mark’s profuse apologies. So, for the past hour or so, they had sat in near silence, only disturbed by the distant music and the sound effects coming from the game Donghyuck was playing on his phone. Either Mark’s phone had run out of charge, or he didn’t have it with him, because the boy had eventually chosen to sit on the bathtub, twiddling his thumbs. Every once in a while, out of his peripheral vision, Donghyuck would see Mark glance at him, looking both nervous and ashamed. Donghyuck ignored the looks, focusing on his stupid gardening game instead.

The beers he had drank earlier was beginning to take effect and Donghyuck felt a wave of exhaustion wash over him.

Another knock sounded at the door.

“Hey, so I’ve got good news and bad news!” Taeyong yelled through the door, sounding much more hopeful than he had been when he’d left to find Jaehyun. Donghyuck thought that part of his brother’s panic was down to the fact that he had been left alone with one of the other Lees. “The bad news is that there’s no key for the door.”

“Shit,” Donghyuck muttered under his breath. “And the good news?”

“The good news is that there is a key for the window,” Taeyong replied before a small key slid underneath the door. Donghyuck glanced at Mark, who was looking sceptically at the narrow window above the toilet. Yeah, they were definitely going to have to breath in.

“Got it!” Donghyuck called out, slipping off the toilet seat and picking up the tiny brass key.

“See you on the other side, Hyuckie!” his brother teased through the door.

“Well, he’s nothing if not helpful,” Donghyuck mumbled, while Mark let out an amused bark of laughter. Donghyuck glared at him, still not ready to forgive the older boy for getting them into such a mess.

“Sorry,” Mark apologised weakly with an awkward clear of his throat. Donghyuck’s gaze softened slightly before he turned to the window and jammed the key into the lock. Really, he knew that Mark hadn’t locked the door on purpose, but frustrating situations always made it easy to lay the blame on someone else. Donghyuck would have felt worse if he’d shouted at Mark, but for once the silent treatment had worked in his favour.

It took a few failed attempts before the rusted keyhole gave way and unlocked with a resounding click. Donghyuck swung the window open and stuck his head out into the cool night air. Thankfully, the bathroom was on ground level and it was a mere six-foot drop to the ground. The sky had grown impossibly dark, but Donghyuck could just make out a rather cushy looking bush sat below the window. At least he’d have something to break his inevitable fall.

“I could always go first,” Mark suggested as they both eyed the window warily. “That way, I can help you from the other side.”

Donghyuck was surprised by the offer and, after the arduous night he’s endured, he didn’t reject it.

“Have at it, Spiderman,” he said, waving in the direction of the window.

There was a small smile spread across Mark’s face as he lifted his foot onto the window ledge. It wasn’t particularly wide, and Mark teetered worryingly close to the edge, but he balanced himself before he could fall. Donghyuck let out a breath he didn’t realise he’d been holding.

“See you on the other side,” Mark smiled, jokingly repeating Taeyong’s earlier words.

Donghyuck scoffed and Mark jumped.

♡

Another day, another sweat-soaked Donghyuck.

A few days had passed since the events of Valentine’s Day, and the four athletes had spent the better part of two hours training with Coach Park. Donghyuck wasn’t nearly as impressed as he though he’d be. Neither was Coach Park, it seemed.

“Come on, Donghyuck! I know you can do better than this. _You_ know you can do better than this.”

Donghyuck felt himself shrivel up as his coach berated him for his slower sprint time.

“Sorry, coach,” he apologised, his chest heaving with each heavy breath.

Coach Park’s eyes softened. “Don’t be sorry, Donghyuck. Just show me that you can do it.”

“Yes, coach,” he nodded, wiping his sweaty face with the hem of his t-shirt. A gust of cool air tickled his bare stomach, sending an involuntarily shiver down his spine. When he dropped his shirt again, Coach Park had moved on to talk to Renjun and Yukhei, the two boys nodding intently at whatever the older man was saying.

Then, a bottle of water appeared in front of him.

“Here.”

Mark was stood next to him, avoiding any eye contact, waving the bottle at him. For a moment, Donghyuck hesitated, staring intently at the proffered water. Mark shook the bottle again, shoving it towards Donghyuck.

“Thanks,” he eventually said, grabbing it with a polite smile. Mark still wasn’t looking at him, and only nodded silently in response. Yukhei laughed loudly at something their coach said, clapping a little like an excited seal. Renjun looked oddly endeared. Donghyuck had his own suspicions, but he really needed to ask his friend about the Valentine’s card.

Mark was the first to break their silence. “Don’t let it get to you too much. He just wants us to do our best.”

Donghyuck sipped the water in lieu of a response. Mark didn’t say anything else.

The silences between them had, strangely, grown less awkward since the party. Donghyuck supposed it had something to do with the fact they had been stuck in a bathroom together for far too long. It was difficult to be uncomfortable with someone you’d spent time with in an enclosed space. Landing on top of Mark when he jumped from the window probably had something to do with it too. Thankfully, the loud crack had been one of the bush’s branches breaking and not one of Mark’s bones. After that absolute shitshow, Donghyuck had forced Taeyong to leave with him to avoid any more situations involving Mark Lee. Donghyuck had resolutely ignored any and all of Taeyong’s questions about how exactly he had ended up locked in a bathroom with Mark, and he would continue to do so for as long as he lived. Or until he broke under the pressure of Taeyong’s interrogating, whichever came first.

“I want you to do your best too,” Mark suddenly added, his voice sincere. Coach Park called on Mark, and the boy jogged over, leaving a stunned Donghyuck behind.

♡

Later on that afternoon, Donghyuck and Renjun sat on a rickety wooden bench, just outside the local ice-cream parlour. Donghyuck enthusiastically licked at a cone of strawberry, while Renjun enjoyed one that looked suspiciously like rum and raisin. Donghyuck shuddered.

“Saw you talking to Mark at practice,” Renjun commented, followed by a bite of ice-cream. Donghyuck was convinced his best friend was a psychopath.

“Mmm,” he hummed in reply, crunching on a piece of the cone. He didn’t really know what to make of Mark anymore, didn’t know what to say about him. Occasionally, Donghyuck’s father would still complain about the other Lees, moaning about how they had attracted more customers that weekend and that their lazy son never put in any work at their restaurant. Donghyuck just had to nod in agreement, guilt swirling in his gut as he thought about all the time he had been spending with this supposedly lazy son.

That was the thing, though. Mark was far from lazy. In fact, he was one of the most hardworking people Donghyuck had ever met. By the end of their training sessions, the older boy was always lying on the ground, drenched in sweat and exhaustion. He knew that Mark was planning on going to university too and spent most of his spare time studying. Donghyuck would never admit it out loud, but he admired Mark, admired the way he worked for what he wanted. It had become obvious to Donghyuck that Mark was just very admirable. In more ways than one. But he wouldn’t talk about that either.

“I saw you were laughing with Yukhei,” Donghyuck countered, taking a deliberate lick of his ice-cream.

“Mmm,” Renjun responded, looking a little shellshocked at Donghyuck’s accusation. They didn’t talk much after that, choosing to finish their ice-creams before jumping on their bikes and cycling home.

♡

Without even realising it, another month had passed, and the icy chill of winter had melted, making way for the blossoming warmth of spring. Donghyuck and his friends were sprawled across the grass of Renjun’s back garden, sipping glasses of room-temperature fruity cider. Balloons hung limply from the roof of the back porch and shimmering streamers laid scattered across the ground.

“Well… that was fun.”

Jaemin had a party blower rested in his mouth and it let out a pathetic, strangled wheeze before curling back up on itself.

“I’m never having kids,” Donghyuck announced, shuddering at the memory of Renjun’s little sister vomiting up an excessive amount of Haribos. The other boys all nodded in agreement.

“It’s not the worst birthday I’ve had,” Renjun acquiesced, but he too still looked thoroughly shaken by his sister’s rather unfortunate end to the night. “One time, my gran got stung by a bee mid party and almost went into anaphylactic shock. We spent the rest of the day in hospital.”

“Jesus,” Jeno gasped, pouring the last dregs of his cider onto the grass. Donghyuck took another sip of his drink, grimacing at the strange taste of the now practically lukewarm liquid. Jaemin downed the remnants of his, letting out a satisfied burp afterwards. Renjun smacked him upside the head.

“Hey!” Jaemin whined, nursing the back of his head with a pout. Renjun and the others just laughed in response, breaking out into full blown guffaws when Jaemin attempted to return the favour, leaping at Renjun with his hand raised threateningly.

Donghyuck’s own laugh was cut off by the jarring sound of his phone vibrating in his pocket. His eyes widened when he read the word _Dad_ flashing intimidatingly across the screen.

“Shit,” he muttered under his breath, sliding the answer button to the right. “Hello?”

“Donghyuck! I hate to ask you this, but do you think you could make it back to the restaurant a little earlier? Joohyun had to leave early and we’re pretty packed tonight.”

Donghyuck let out a sigh of resignation. “Yeah, I suppose. I’ll be there soon. Yeah. Bye”

He slid his phone back into his pocket before lifting himself from the grass and back onto his feet. Renjun and Jeno were watching him expectantly while Jaemin attempted to drunkenly braid strings of streamers together.

“Dad needs help back at the restaurant,” Donghyuck explained, sweeping bits of grass from his backside. “Sorry.”

“Nah, its fine,” Renjun waved, but Donghyuck couldn’t ignore the slight frown on his face. “You’ll probably have more fun there anyway.”

“Doubt it,” Donghyuck snorted, but he reached down to give Renjun’s shoulder a comforting squeeze. “See you later!”

Donghyuck found his bike where he had left it, propped against the side of Renjun’s house. He heard another muffled round of laughter sound from the garden that left Donghyuck smiling as he mounted his bike and began cycling away.

The sun had nearly set, turning the clouds into pieces of lavender candyfloss floating across the twilight sky. One thing Donghyuck truly loved about living in a rural area was the sheer beauty of the nature that surrounded him. He liked that he could see the sky so clearly, liked that he could hear the way the trees rustled in the wind, liked that he could feel the rain before it fell. No matter where he moved throughout his life, Donghyuck knew that he would always return, would always come back home.

Clutching the handlebar with only one hand, Donghyuck stuck an earphone in one of his ears and let his music play. It was a pretty, floaty love song, the kind that left you with a sense of yearning and reminded Donghyuck of the clouds up above.

Eventually, he reached the hill that led to the street of his father’s restaurant. This was always his favourite part of his cycling route; the feeling of riding down the hill was the closest thing Donghyuck had ever felt to flying and it was one of the most magical feelings in the world. Down below, he could see the warm lights of the restaurants and bars that lined the streets glimmering amidst the last of the sunlight. He hit his brakes, squealing to a halt, and stopped to admire it all. The tiny buildings, the even tinier people, the vast fields on either side, shaded an odd lilac under the canopy of the sky. He wanted to photograph this moment, but no camera could ever do it justice. He’d just have to remember.

“Donghyuck?”

He startled at the sound of his name being called by an unexpectedly familiar voice. Mark Lee was stood a few meters behind him, black hair mussed across his forehead, a plastic carrier bag in one hand and a half-eaten sandwich in the other.

“Oh, hi,” Donghyuck greeted politely, removing his earphone and pausing his music. He wasn’t sure why. He wasn’t really planning on staying to chat.

“Aren’t you supposed to be at Renjun’s?” Mark asked, taking another bite of his sandwich. Donghyuck raised an eyebrow, his heart beating a little faster under Mark’s curious gaze. How did Mark know about that?

Mark quickly realised what he had said, what that had sounded like, and his eyes widened in slight panic. “Yukhei,” he explained through a mouthful of bread and cheese.

“Ah, that makes sense,” Donghyuck nodded understandingly. Of course Mark wasn’t actively asking about Donghyuck. What would he do that for? Stupid. “I was for a while, but duty calls.”

Mark laughed in response, coughing when his breath caught on a stray piece of sandwich.

“You helping out at your restaurant?”

“Yeah.”

“Do you like it?”

“Not really.”

“Yeah, me neither. Too much… food.”

“Too much food? What else would you expect from an establishment whose sole purpose is to sell food?”

“Less noodles.”

“Wh- actually, that’s a good point. We do have a lot of noodles.”

“I’m worried my dad’s going to start serving it as cereal. Milk and all.”

“Jesus, Mark. That’s vile.”

“Huh.”

Donghyuck frowned at the smile on Mark’s face. He looked strangely delighted.

“What?”

“Nothing, it’s just that this is the first time you’ve ever called me by my name.”

“No, it’s n- oh.” Donghyuck blanched. Mark was still smiling.

“It’s fine, don’t worry about it.”

“I’m not worrying,” Donghyuck blurted defensively – maybe a little too defensively.

Mark laughed this time, finding Donghyuck’s attempt at lying endlessly funny. “Okay, whatever.”

“Hey! Why are you laughing?” Donghyuck whined, but he felt his mouth curl into a wide grin.

“No reason,” Mark beamed, his eyes reflecting the last moments of the sunset. Pretty.

“You look nice, by the way.”

Donghyuck froze at the compliment, his palms growing anxiously sweaty. He looked down at himself, attempting to confirm that he did indeed “look nice”, as Mark had put it. He was wearing his new shirt, a loose, white linen one that accentuated the golden hues of his skin. It looked nice on him, but he didn’t know if it _made_ him look nice. His hair was probably rather windblown after his bike ride and his face felt immeasurably warm from the alcohol he had drunk earlier at Renjun’s. Donghyuck thought he looked a bit of a mess, in all honesty. He concluded that Mark probably suffered from impaired vision.

“Thanks,” he said anyway, clearing his throat awkwardly while unconsciously patting down his hair in an attempt to _actually_ look nice. Mark looked equally as awkward, likely embarrassed by the honesty of his compliment.

“Anyway…” Donghyuck sighed, gripping the handlebars of his bike a little tighter. “I should probably get going.”

Mark seemed to jump out of a trance at Donghyuck’s words, his brows drooping in a way that made him look… disappointed?

“Oh, yeah, sorry,” he stuttered, scuffing a stray stone with the toe of his shoe. “See you at training.”

More tension-filled silence.

“Do you want a ride?” Donghyuck suddenly blurted, immediately wishing he could take it back as Mark’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Um, sure,” he agreed awkwardly, shuffling towards Donghyuck at a pace that could rival a tortoise with missing limbs. For a stilted moment, Mark stood unmoving next to the bike, carrier bag swinging listlessly in the wind, like he was unsure as to what to do next.

“Here, I’ll take that,” Donghyuck offered, reaching out a hand to take the bag from Mark. Their fingers brushed as Mark passed it over and Donghyuck felt himself shiver involuntarily. Thankfully, Mark didn’t seem to notice as he hesitantly rested his hands on Donghyuck’s shoulders before balancing on the pegs attached to the rear wheel.

Donghyuck instantly regretted the moment he instructed Mark to hold tight, his face warming as the older boy’s fingers pressed harder into Donghyuck’s shoulders. Carrier bag hooked on the handlebar and Mark Lee balanced precariously behind him, Donghyuck pushed his feet off the ground and began to pedal. He struggled to begin with, unused to the extra weight of another person, but after a few moments he built up a rhythm, slow and leisurely.

The sun had all but set by the time they reach the decline of the hill, moonlight beginning to make an appearance amongst the clouds and early scattering of stars. Mark’s fingers dug even harder into Donghyuck’s skin as they began to descend, the bike wheel whirring incessantly and wind rushing against their faces. Donghyuck felt a wide smile spread across his face, letting out an excited whoop as they flew down the hill. Mark surprisingly echoed the noise, his hold on Donghyuck’s shoulders less nervous, more steady.

This was another one of those moments that made Donghyuck wished he could capture in a photograph. It was a moment that Donghyuck wanted to remember. He’d just never expected that Mark Lee would be a part of it.

The bike began to slow down as the hill flattened out, and Donghyuck started pedalling again, cycling until they reached the end of the street that housed his father’s restaurant. The weight of the bike seemed to half as Mark hopped off, but strangely enough, Donghyuck had almost gotten used to it.

“Thanks for the ride,” Mark smiled, his hair windswept and cheeks pink, glowing in the warm lights coming from the restaurants. Donghyuck felt breathless.

“No problem,” he managed to choke out, handing over the plastic bag.

“I guess I’ll see you at school then,” Mark shrugged, ruffling his hair so that it lay flat against his head again instead of sticking up at an odd angle.

“Yeah, see you,” Donghyuck breathed out, distracting himself by doing the same to his own hair. A mixture of the alcohol in his veins and the way that the air seemed to make Donghyuck’s tongue feel looser, made him worry about what he’d end up saying.

“Bye,” Mark waved, sending one last smile Donghyuck’s way before walking down the street, carrier bag swinging in his hand. Donghyuck didn’t move until Mark was nearly out of sight, hidden behind the cars that lined the road. Only then did he pedal slowly towards the bustle of his father’s restaurant, a dazed smile tugging at his lips.

That one last smile from Mark was like a bullet to Donghyuck’s heart, leaving him bleeding out on the road in the best way possible. God, he was well and truly screwed.

♡

Only two days later, early on Sunday morning, Donghyuck received a text from Renjun.

training session this afternoon?

it’s sunday

yes

what an astute observation watson

training?

i repeat

it’s sunday

if you don’t come i’ll shave your head

okay

i could rock the bald look

no you could not

do not fool yourself

also

don’t test me

because i will do it

fine

what time

12 at the park?

see u then ♡♡♡♡♡♡

no amount of hearts will distract me from my threat

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

see you later

♡

Donghyuck slipped on his running shoes and headed out the door, shouting a brief goodbye over his shoulder to his dad who was sat in front of the tv, so invested in a home designs show he barely realised Donghyuck was leaving.

He swung onto his bike and began cycling towards the local park, meeting Renjun along the way. Donghyuck wasn’t particularly surprised to find Yukhei and Mark already waiting for them at its entrance, their own bikes locked up near the gate.

Donghyuck could feel Renjun eyeing him warily, but he wasn’t even remotely annoyed with his friend’s decision to omit some information. Even if Renjun had told them that the older boys (read: Mark) would be there, Donghyuck would have probably gone anyway. He avoided meeting Mark’s gaze as he and Renjun locked up their bikes, but it was more to hide the way he was struggling not to smile more than anything else.

The four of them made their way over to the small basketball court that was circled by a mini version of the racetrack they were used to, and soon they began warming up. As they all worked on their exercises, and even as they began properly training, Donghyuck failed to keep his eyes from Mark on multiple occasions. At one point, Donghyuck forgot to start running, too busy gazing at Mark’s back from where he stood, several feet away. The first time he passed the baton to Mark their fingers brushed, just like they had when he’d handed Mark the bag on Friday night. It made his hand tingle, just like it had that night. Donghyuck would’ve almost felt embarrassed by his reaction if he hadn’t noticed the way Mark stumbled slightly as he ran on ahead, baton clutched in his fist.

By the time a few hours had passed, the four boys had all but collapsed on the ground, breathing heavily and shirts sticking to their bodies with sweat. The sun didn’t aid in cooling them down, much too bright and much too hot for late March.

“Someone’s going to have to peel me off the ground,” Yukhei groaned loudly, sprawled dramatically across the ground like an oversized starfish.

“Nah, we’re good, man,” Mark coughed, tiredly reaching for a bottle of water. Donghyuck watched, enraptured as a drop of water escaped Mark’s mouth and trickled down his neck. Suddenly, his mouth felt very dry. Renjun cleared his throat, looking pointedly at Donghyuck who began to flush, realising he’d been caught.

Eventually, they all managed to pick themselves off the racetrack and returned to the front gate of the park to retrieve their bikes. Just as Donghyuck was preparing to say goodbye and head home, Yukhei came out with perhaps Donghyuck’s least favourite suggestion of the day.

“Hey, there’s a lake pretty nearby that me, Mark and a few others go to when it’s warm. I was thinking the four of us could go today? You know, to relax and cool down a bit?”

Renjun and Mark immediately agreed with enthusiastic nods. Donghyuck didn’t. He was supposed to be helping at the restaurant later that night. It wouldn’t be the smartest idea to run off with Mark Lee and risk being late. After all, it was becoming decidedly more difficult to lie about who exactly Donghyuck was spending his time with.

“Hyuck!” Renjun called as he mounted his bike, Yukhei and Mark having already done the same. “You coming?”

Donghyuck hesitated, clutching the handlebars of his own bike tightly. Did he want to go? Yes, of course he did. Should he? The obvious answer to that would be, _should_ be, no. He could almost hear his father talking about how horrible the other Lees were, how he would rather jump out of a moving car than befriend them. Donghyuck felt his eyes drift from the ground to Mark, jolting when he realised that the older boy was already looking at him. The excited screams of the children in the playground and the melodic chirping of birds pounded in Donghyuck’s ears as the seconds passed. Renjun called his name again, sounding impatient, but Donghyuck barely acknowledged him, still watching Mark. Neither boy said a word, and Donghyuck knew he was taking too long to reply, but he felt frozen. He should say no. He needed to say no. He wanted…

It didn’t matter. Donghyuck found himself breaking their prolonged eye contact and slowly pedalled towards the other boys. Mark was still watching him. Donghyuck’s face felt warm. He was blushing.

“Well?” he urged expectantly. “Are we going or what?”

Yukhei broke out into a blinding smile, while Renjun squeezed his shoulder. It was an oddly comforting gesture, and one that Donghyuck appreciated. Mark didn’t say anything, but even Donghyuck could see the small smile that graced his lips.

Soon enough, the four boys found themselves cycling bumpily down gravelled country roads, the early springtime sun not doing much to warm the coolness in the afternoon air. Donghyuck cycled alongside Renjun, the two boys pedalling leisurely, while Mark and Yukhei seemed to be competing in a race of sorts further ahead.

“You like him,” Renjun said over the sound of gravel crunching beneath the tires of their bikes. It wasn’t a question, so Donghyuck didn’t answer. He didn’t have to.

“It’s okay, you know,” Renjun continued. Donghyuck turned his head to face his friend, a questioning eyebrow raised. “To like him,” the elder confirmed, a comforting smile on his face.

Donghyuck didn’t say anything in response, choosing instead to watch as Mark swerved on his bike, cackling loudly at something Yukhei had said. Renjun shot him one last smile before speeding up his pedalling, catching up with the two older boys. Donghyuck held back for a second and breathed. He shouldn’t be here. He didn’t need to be. He watched as Renjun bumped his bike into Yukhei’s, almost toppling the taller boy over, both of them breaking out into a bout of amused laughter.

“Hey.”

Donghyuck blinked. He hadn’t noticed Mark slowing down, hadn’t noticed he was no longer leading their group. He hadn’t noticed that Mark had waited on him.

“Hey,” Donghyuck echoed shortly, not daring to look anywhere but the road ahead.

“Is everything alright?” Mark asked, sounding unusually concerned. “You’ve been really quiet today.”

How had Mark noticed? They weren’t friends. How would he know what Donghyuck was normally like? Donghyuck frowned, eyes trained on the narrow pathway they were now cycling along.

“I’m fine,” he muttered, before clamping his mouth shut. He was scared that if he let himself say any more, he wouldn’t shut up. God knows what he’d end up saying, especially after all the thoughts he’d been having since Friday. All the thoughts he’d been having about Mark.

“Oh,” was all Mark said in response, clearly getting the hint that Donghyuck wasn’t going to say anything else.

Twigs snapped under the weight of their bikes as they rode down a narrow trail, shrouded by leafy green trees that blocked the sunlight. A little up ahead, Donghyuck could hear the familiar bubbling of water, breaking the uncomfortable silence that had wrapped around both him and Mark. After a few more moments of awkward tension, they rounded a bend in the path to find Renjun and Yukhei kicking off their shoes and socks, bikes abandoned near the treeline. In front of them ran the river, the surface of the water glinting invitingly. The chain of Donghyuck’s bike clicked loudly as he slowed to a stop. He dismounted the seat before leaning it against a tree and removing his own shoes, leaving him standing in only his shorts and a t-shirt. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Mark doing the same. A loud splash sounded from behind him and Donghyuck turned to see Yukhei floating happily in the water while an unamused Renjun stood on the riverbank, his blue shirt spotted with water.

Suddenly feeling rather mischievous, Donghyuck found himself sneaking up behind his unsuspecting friend, his footsteps silent in the soft grass. He was mere inches away from Renjun’s back, when suddenly, the smaller boy whipped around and grabbed Donghyuck’s shoulders.

“Yeah, I don’t think so,” was all Renjun said before shoving a stunned Donghyuck into the freezing water. The sheer coldness of the water felt like bullet, shooting through Donghyuck’s body, and enveloping every vein, every artery with pure ice. He spluttered helplessly for a few seconds, gasping for air and splashing water everywhere. After several moments of dramatic arm flailing, he realised that the water wasn’t actually that deep. In fact, it was shallow enough for Donghyuck to comfortably stand in. Bashfully, he brought himself onto his feet, cheeks colouring as the three other boys cried with laughter. Yukhei slammed his hand into the lake with an amused snort, sending droplets of water flying everywhere, while both Renjun and Mark were sprawled on the riverbank, clutching their stomachs from laughing too hard.

“Jesus Christ, Donghyuck,” Renjun wheezed, tears of laughter streaming down his face. “That’s the funniest thing you’ve ever done.”

“Hey, my joke from last Friday about Jaemin was way funnier!” Donghyuck argued defensively, but he could feel his mouth twitching amusedly.

“I think this trumps the dick joke, Hyuck,” Renjun snickered as he pushed himself onto his feet, brushing stray bits of grass from his legs. Beside Donghyuck, Yukhei had resumed his floating, a huge grin spread across his face. Donghyuck liked that about the older boy; how he was always happy, always smiling. The water rippled as Renjun jumped in, his shirt lying abandoned on the grassy bank of the river. Donghyuck looked down at himself and let out a gasp as he realised that the white fabric of his shirt had become near transparent and was stuck to every inch of his torso. Fuck, he hadn’t thought this through. He couldn’t ride home with his shirt completely see-through. There was only one solution.

Slowly, and a little self-consciously, Donghyuck reached for the hem of his shirt, just below the surface of the water, and peeled it off in one go. The sopping fabric dripped noisily as Donghyuck waded to the edge of the water, throwing his t-shirt gracelessly onto the grass. He hoped the sun would help dry it off before he had to go home. Really, that’s where he should’ve been. Home. Instead he was getting thrown into water, laughing with his best friend and hanging out with the one person he shouldn’t.

At some point amidst the chaos, Mark had also taken the plunge and was now making a fair attempt at drowning Yukhei, dunking the taller boy’s head beneath the surface of the water while cackling maniacally.

“You’re not doing a very good job at being subtle,” Renjun smirked, splashing water in Donghyuck’s face.

“Yeah, well subtlety’s never been my strong suit,” Donghyuck muttered regrettably as his gaze remained focused on Mark, who was looking to be the victim of Yukhei’s revenge.

“Would it really be so bad?” Renjun asked, hooking his arm around Donghyuck’s neck affectionately.

“Yeah,” Donghyuck whispered as Mark let out a gurgle, Yukhei tackling him successfully under the water. “Yeah, it would.”

He didn’t need to look at Renjun to see the sympathetic look on his face. Donghyuck sighed, and Renjun ruffled his hair, before the smaller boy swam off to aid Yukhei in his quest of vengeance.

♡

The sun had turned the sky a vibrant shade of orange by the time anyone made a move to leave the lake. Donghyuck thought that he would’ve been the first to leave, but something about the way the sunset reflected in the water and made all of their skin glow made him want to stay, just a little longer. Renjun was the first to slip out of the water, his feet and hands shrivelled like prunes and shivering as the cool air brushed his skin.

“My parents want me to look after Shuhua tonight,” he explained, his voice muffled as he pulled on his shirt. “Apparently date nights exist past the age of forty.”

“Shit, what time is it?” Yukhei piped up, clambering out of the water and frantically throwing his clothes around in search of his phone.

“Like, five I guess?” Mark replied, evidently amused by his friend’s flustered state of panic.

Yukhei let out a pained noise, like he’d just been punched violently in the face. “Fuck! I’m meant to be meeting Yuqi for dinner in half an hour.”

Donghyuck frowned. Yuqi? Yukhei had a girlfriend? He glanced at Renjun, but his friend didn’t look any more or less harassed than he already was.

“I’ll ride with you, then,” Renjun said, wheeling his bike towards the treeline. “Hyuck! You coming too?”

Donghyuck was laid on his back, using a stray plank of wood as a makeshift raft as he leisurely floated in circles, water swishing around his head. “I think I’ll stay for a bit,” he replied, his eyes trained on the fiery sky. He didn’t reply to Renjun’s nearly unintelligible “okay, see you”, too scared to see the expression he knew was on Renjun’s face.

“Mark, want to come with?” Yukhei’s voice boomed as he jumped on his bike hurriedly.

“Nah, it’s fine,” Mark laughed and Donghyuck froze. “See you tomorrow!”

Soon, Donghyuck could hear the whirring of Yukhei’s and Renjun’s bikes as they pedalled back along the trail, leaving both him and Mark behind. Alone. Just the two of them. Donghyuck’s heart felt like it was pounding in his head. He should’ve left with Renjun. Why did he stay? Why did he think that Mark wouldn’t?

Neither boy said a word, simply choosing to silently exist for a while. Floating. It was oddly peaceful, Donghyuck thought, despite his thrumming heart and the general panic that came with being alone with Mark. The early evening breeze ruffled the leaves on the trees, whispering gently with each gust. A bird flew across the sky, a blot of ink on orange paper, its wings rustling loudly in the silence. If Donghyuck were a romantic, this would be the perfect setting for a first kiss. But he wasn’t. So it wasn’t.

A sigh suddenly sounded from next to Donghyuck, so close that he almost thought it was his own for a second. But, of course, it wasn’t him. Of course, it was Mark. Somehow, Donghyuck managed not to flinch when he felt bare skin brush against his arm, but his own skin erupted into goose bumps at the unexpected contact. When he dared to look, Mark’s eyes were focused on the sky, just as Donghyuck’s had been until mere moments ago.

The warmth of the sky washed Mark’s skin in a beautiful shade of gold that left Donghyuck breathless. The black strands of his hair were damp and stuck strangely to his forehead, and Donghyuck’s fingers itched to touch them. Another sigh, full of both contentment and frustration, left Mark’s slightly parted lips and Donghyuck couldn’t take his eyes away, even as the older boy began to speak.

“Do you hate me, Donghyuck?” his voice barely more than a whisper. For once, Donghyuck didn’t find himself floundering in the open sea, struggling to breath, at the sound of Mark’s voice. It probably had something to do with the way Mark seemed to be staring resolutely at the sky and not Donghyuck.

“I’m supposed to,” Donghyuck replied, his voice just as low, just as quiet. He was still watching Mark, still marvelling at the way the sunset made him glow. It was the last time he’d let himself do such a thing, after all.

“But _do you_?” Mark pushed, looking uncharacteristically helpless. For a moment, Donghyuck considered lying, considered telling Mark that he hated him with every fibre of his being. But Donghyuck didn’t want to be a liar anymore.

“No,” he breathed, his voice laced with so much sincerity it pained him. “No, I don’t.”

He heard Mark draw in a sharp breath through his nose, and then suddenly, they were face to face, the beauty of the sky forgotten. They were so close that Donghyuck could just make out his own reflection in the darkest depths of Mark’s eyes. It was strange, being so close to another person’s face. Donghyuck had kissed people before, but they had always been a hurried affair, sloppy and almost exclusively under the influence of alcohol. Not once, on all those occasions, had Donghyuck felt the urge to study the other person’s face. Not once had he just wanted to look. Not once had he wanted to kiss someone so badly.

God, they were so close. Mark’s breath blew warmly against his own lips and Donghyuck shuddered.

“Good,” Mark whispered, and Donghyuck could practically feel the words. “That’s… good.”

God, they were so close, and Donghyuck just wanted, wanted, wanted-

“Yeah?” he breathed, and Mark smiled.

“Yeah.”

God, they were so close. And then they were kissing.

Mark’s lips pressed hotly against Donghyuck’s, soft and wet and perfect. Donghyuck didn’t often remember much about the kisses he shared with others, but he couldn’t imagine ever forgetting this one. With each slide of his lips against Mark’s, Donghyuck remembered.

He wasn’t entirely sure how or when it happened, but they were standing in the water, blissfully ignorant of the way it splashed against them, between them, around them. They were so much closer now, their bare torsos pressed against one another, their lips never parting. Donghyuck shivered as one of Mark’s hands slid up his arm, his shoulder, his neck, before it slid into the wet strands of his hair. Donghyuck’s own hands gripped Mark’s waist tightly, pulling him impossibly closer.

Donghyuck was both right and wrong. This was the perfect place for a first kiss, and he was most definitely a romantic.

Then, the magic broke. A familiar tinkling ring cut through the air, pulling the two boys from the moment. Donghyuck stood unmoving for a split second, dazed and warm, until he recognised the sound as his ringtone. His father’s ringtone. Shit.

“Shit,” he muttered out loud for good measure, tripping over his own feet on his way to find his phone. The obnoxious ringing continued as Donghyuck rummaged through his bag, finally finding it in the front pocket amongst a collection of loose change, old post-it notes and a stray piece of chewing gum.

Donghyuck barely managed to breathe before his father was shouting down the phone.

“Where on earth are you, Donghyuck?” his father asked, his voice shaking with anger. “You’re supposed to be helping at the restaurant this evening! Do you know how busy it’s been? How much work your brother’s had to do today because you’ve not been here?”

Fuck. He’d forgotten. Donghyuck’s eyes slid shut and he let out a frustrated sigh.

“Shi- sorry, dad,” he apologised, scrubbing at his hair anxiously. “I just got distracted with team stuff and lost track of time. I’m leaving right now.”

His father let out a similarly frustrated sigh on the other end of the line.

“You’d better be,” he muttered angrily, not saying another word before hanging up the phone. Hurriedly, Donghyuck began gathering his things, throwing his phone haphazardly into his bag.

“Everything okay?”

Donghyuck jumped at the sound of Mark’s voice. For a second, he had almost forgot that the other boy was there. Almost.

“Um, yeah,” he replied awkwardly, very aware that they were both standing in nothing but their shorts following a very heated make out session. In an attempt to avoid making eye contact with Mark, Donghyuck began pulling on his socks and shoes, ignoring the pieces of grass stuck to the soles of his feet and in between his toes. “Something came up at home, so I need to get back.”

“Oh.” It was the same, defeated sound that Mark had let out earlier that day. It made Donghyuck feel guilty. Guiltier than he already was. How could he have forgotten about restaurant duty? How could he have spent his entire day so carelessly? How could he have kissed Mark Lee? Donghyuck wasn’t sure he could ever look his father in the eyes ever again. Or Mark for that matter.

Donghyuck was just about to get on his bike, when he realised that in his hurry he had, yet again, forgotten something.

“Looking for this?”

Mark held out Donghyuck’s t-shirt, like a strange sort of peace offering, a white flag of surrender.

“Thanks,” Donghyuck said, taking the shirt with a strained smile. It still felt a little soggy in places and it was covered in grass, but that was the least of his worries. Donghyuck grimaced slightly as he pulled the shirt over his head, not at all enamoured by the overwhelming scent of _damp_.

“So…” Mark began, trailing off just as quickly as he’d started.

“I, uh, I’m kind of late.” Donghyuck cringed at the sound of his own voice, cringed at how awkward, how dismissive he sounded. He felt even worse when Mark’s face fell.

“Oh, yeah. Well, I’ll see you around.”

“Yeah, see you around.”

As Donghyuck cycled down the trail, he forced himself not to look back. God, he tried. He needed to get back to the restaurant. His dad was counting on him.

But Donghyuck had never been good at doing what he was supposed to do.

The look on Mark’s face when Donghyuck broke back through the trees mere seconds after he had left was almost comical, his eyes wide, mouth agape, body frozen. Donghyuck’s own body moved on autopilot as he practically threw his bike aside before practically throwing himself at Mark, grabbing the older boy by the shoulders, pulling him close and slamming their mouths together.

Obviously stunned by Donghyuck’s sudden reappearance, Mark didn’t immediately respond to the kiss, his mouth unmoving, but when he did, when he started to kiss back, Donghyuck thought himself an idiot for even considering leaving without doing this.

Donghyuck ended up returning home even later than he had promised his father, but all the scolding was worth the smile Mark had given him just as he left.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry if there are any typos in this, i read through it a few times but it's always easy to miss mistakes in your own writing hehe  
> i hope you enjoyed this chapter! i'll try to get the next one finished in the next week or so, but it'll probably be a little shorter than this monstrosity lol  
> comments and kudos are always appreciated :)
> 
> 04/10/2020 : minor edits


	2. chapter two

A week had gone by since that day at the lake and Donghyuck’s contact with Mark had been less than minimal. He didn’t even have Mark’s number, so not even texts were exchanged. In all honesty, Donghyuck didn’t know what he’d say even if he _did_ have Mark’s number. No words seemed to be able to adequately convey just what he was thinking, what he was feeling. Exam season was fast approaching and most of Donghyuck’s time had been consumed by hours spent poring over textbooks, helping out at the restaurant (mostly as a punishment for turning up late that weekend) and training for championships. Only a small amount of time was left to think about Mark, usually the hour Donghyuck spent in bed before falling asleep, restlessly remembering how the older boy’s lips had felt pressed against his own. The urge to do it again had been antagonising Donghyuck all week, and it didn’t help that his only interactions with Mark had been nothing more than a few secretive smiles, flushed cheeks and awkward brushes of fingers as they passed the baton during training. Donghyuck didn’t know what was going on, didn’t know what they were, but whatever Mark was willing to give him, Donghyuck knew he would take it.

A week had gone by and, as championships began closing in, the team were training harder than ever. With everything that had been going on in recent days, Donghyuck had completely forgotten the most exciting, most awaited part of senior training: the overnight training retreat. Each year, Coach Park took the senior team on an overnight training excursion to a coastal town where he forced them to run for hours along the sandy shores of the beaches until they all essentially collapsed from exhaustion. Donghyuck couldn’t think of anything more wonderful.

Well, that was until he ended up stuck in the back seat of Coach Park’s car, squashed between an oddly silent Renjun and a Mark Lee.

When Donghyuck had arrived at school earlier that morning, he had expected to see a slightly larger vehicle awaiting them, a minibus perhaps or, you know, a fully operable car. To say he was disappointed when all he saw was Coach Park’s sad excuse for a car would be an understatement. The tiny blue thing (Donghyuck could hardly find it in himself to call it a car) looked like it had seen far better days, patches of rust scattered across the chipped paintjob like angry clouds. Coach Park appeared from behind the open boot to wave Donghyuck over, an excited grin plastered across his face, gesturing for him to hand his bag over. It was far too early for anyone to be able to smile, never mind Donghyuck who, after a night of broken sleep, felt like dropping dead would be preferable to being in any state of consciousness.

He couldn’t tell if his morning got better or worse when he approached the car. Yukhei was sat uncomfortably in the passenger seat, long legs hunched so close in front of him they nearly touched his chin. He gave Donghyuck a tired smile and muttered a quiet greeting, even though he looked to be on the verge of falling asleep. Donghyuck’s returning smile probably ended up looking much more like a grimace than anything else. Behind Yukhei sat an already sleeping Renjun, causing Donghyuck to let out an amused scoff as he clambered into the middle seat, feeling slightly envious of his friend’s ability to fall asleep anywhere. The one benefit of this particular skill, however, was that Donghyuck would be free of Renjun’s questioning stare for just a little longer. Renjun hadn’t outright asked Donghyuck about what had happened after he left the lake, but the way his eyes had kept flickering suspiciously between Donghyuck and Mark during training that week hadn’t gone unnoticed.

It was in the moment that Donghyuck’s seatbelt clicked into place that a realisation did the very same thing: Mark Lee hadn’t arrived yet, and there was only one empty seat left. Donghyuck eyed the seat next to him with a mixture of nerves and anticipation.

He was about to spend twenty-four, uninterrupted hours with Mark Lee. From the car journey, to eating meals, to sleeping; it would all be with Mark.

Fuck.

Donghyuck slipped his phone out of his pocket in an attempt to distract himself from his thoughts, opening up his favourite gardening game. It took a matter of seconds for Donghyuck to be reminded of the last time he had played it: in the bathroom at Jaehyun’s party. Where he’d been stuck for an hour. With Mark Lee. Donghyuck threw his head back against the headrest with a silent groan. Lately he hadn’t been able to do anything without it reminding him of Mark. Even his stupid gardening game made him think of the older boy.

Outside the car, Donghyuck could hear Coach Park’s muttered swearing as fat droplets of rain began to fall from the sky, followed by a cheery greeting to who Donghyuck could only assume was Mark. His suspicions were confirmed when said boy appeared in front of the car, handing his bag over to their coach, before jogging to open the door in a desperate attempt to shelter himself from the sudden downpour. Donghyuck felt himself blush before Mark had even seen him, but when he opened the door and their eyes met, Mark’s face did the same, cheeks turning a startling shade of pink.

“Hi,” Donghyuck whispered, being careful not to wake Renjun and Yukhei from their naps.

“Hi,” Mark replied just as quietly as he slipped into the car, his lips quirking into a smile upon noticing their sleeping friends. Donghyuck had to hold back a shudder as one side of Mark’s body pressed against his own, forcefully crowded next to one another in the seat of the car. He didn’t even mind that the rain on Mark’s clothes brushed against his dry hoodie, too distracted by how close they were. Donghyuck couldn’t help himself as he turned to face Mark, only mildly surprised to find that the older boy was already looking back. He scrambled to come up with something to say that didn’t sound too weird or obsessive, deciding that “I haven’t stopped thinking about you for an entire week and I would very much like to stick my tongue in your mouth at your earliest convenience” wasn’t a very appropriate way to start off a conversation.

“It’s, uh, lovely weather.”

Mark’s voice was barely audible over the loud drumming of the rain. Donghyuck quirked an eyebrow and Mark blushed even harder. As it turned out, Mark wasn’t exactly an expert at conversation either.

“I mean, if you like that kind of thing,” he quickly added, looking rather embarrassed as he quickly broke their eye contact. Donghyuck felt disturbingly endeared by it all.

“Not particularly,” the younger teased, eyeing the grey clouds floating above the car.

“Oh. Yeah me neither,” Mark added, fidgeting slightly in his seat. As he moved, his hand brushed against Donghyuck’s. Neither boy made a move to create any distance, allowing their hands to sit next to one another, touching, but not enough to arise suspicion should someone else notice.

“I prefer the sun,” Donghyuck murmured, watching their hands as he let his pinkie stroke gently against Mark’s, causing the older boy to freeze momentarily. Donghyuck held his breath, waiting for something, anything. And then, Mark mirrored the action, ever so gently. His touch was like a breath, light and barely there, but Donghyuck couldn’t help the way his breath hitched.

“Me too,” Mark breathed, eyes straying from where their fingers were almost interlocked to look at Donghyuck. “It makes me happy.”

Donghyuck couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t. Fucking. Breathe. Not with way Mark was looking at him, eyes full of hope and sincerity. Not with way Mark was speaking, his voice filled with something more, more than the words he spoke. Donghyuck didn’t know what to do, what to say, what to think.

The boot suddenly slammed shut and the driver’s door swung open to reveal a thoroughly drenched Coach Park. Donghyuck almost pulled away from Mark at the sudden interruption, but he couldn’t. Mark’s pinkie was firmly hooked around his own. The disbelief must have been apparent on Donghyuck’s face because Mark nudged his shoulder, a reassuring smile on his face. It was clear – they both wanted this, whatever it was.

“Ready boys?” Coach Park suddenly boomed, startling both Renjun and Yukhei awake with the sheer volume of his voice. The four boys replied with tired voices that generally confirmed that, yes, they were ready to go and no, they would not allow their coach to control the music. There were only so many times they could listen to _Katrina and the Waves_ before they wanted to throw themselves out of the moving car.

Beside him, Renjun shuffled in his seat before suddenly freezing. Donghyuck turned to face his friend, only for his face to go up in flames when he noticed how Renjun’s eyes were trained on Mark’s lap, where his hand was still attached to the older boy’s. Immediately, Donghyuck wrenched his hand away, clearing his throat awkwardly as both Renjun and Mark gazed at him confusedly.

_I used to think maybe you loved me, now baby I’m sure_

Simultaneously, the four teenagers groaned out loud.

_And I just can’t wait till the day when you knock on my door_

This was going to be a very long journey.

♡

By the time the car drove into the car park at the beach, the rain had stopped, and the sun was slowly beginning to break through the curtain of dull clouds. Donghyuck finally felt able to breathe for the first time in almost three hours (even the short lunch break at a service station had been stifling, particularly when he made awkward eye contact with Mark after taking a too-big bite out of his hamburger). The tension in the back seat had been suffocating to say the least, what with Mark and Donghyuck refusing to look at one another, and Renjun using every given opportunity to throw judgemental stares Donghyuck’s way. The younger knew he was going to get absolutely grilled later that night by his best friend; it was only a matter of time. Donghyuck savoured his last moments of freedom, taking in a deep breath of fresh sea air as he stumbled out of the car, eager to leave the confines of the tiny vehicle as quickly as possible. Being the last one out, he hurried to join the rest of the team who were all stood in front of the boardwalk that led down to the beach. Despite the fairly decent weather, the sandy shores didn’t look too busy, with only a few dog walkers strolling along the shore.

As Donghyuck approached the group, he deduced that his safest option would be to stand in between Yukhei and Coach Park, too nervous to stand near Renjun and too flustered to join Mark where he leant against the railing of the walkway.

“Alright,” Coach Park clapped, looking nothing like he had just driven a tiny, cramped car for the better part of three hours. Donghyuck couldn’t say the same for himself. “Check in at the B&B is at four, so let’s get in as much training as we can before then.”

The four boys let out a collective sigh, already exhausted from spending so long in the car, but Donghyuck could still feel the faint thrum of excitement. They knew that they had to do this if they wanted to win the race and, god, did they want to. They needed to.

Coach Park blew his whistle, the shrill sound piercing the air and making the boys flinch. “Let’s go!”

Donghyuck caught Mark’s eye as they began to jog down the boardwalk, their feet thumping on the wooden slats, and he couldn’t stop the shy smile that appeared on his face. For a moment, Mark looked shocked, clearly not expecting the younger to initiate anything since they had spent most of the journey ignoring their moment, but only for a split second. Donghyuck had always loved Mark’s smile but something about this one, the way he looked genuinely happy when their eyes met, that made Donghyuck decide this was his favourite.

♡

If Donghyuck had thought hiding the truth from his dad was hard, trying to hide it from Taeyong was impossible. When he had returned to the restaurant the night of his first kiss with Mark, he knew that Taeyong immediately sensed something was different. It was probably, most definitely, absolutely because of the way Donghyuck struggled not to smile, even as their father completely laid into him for missing most of his shift.

The restaurant had still been busy, even after the half an hour lecture Donghyuck had received from his father about responsibilities and timekeeping, so he’d been sent off to work the tables. Just as he was tying his apron, the door to the storeroom swung open to reveal a hassled Taeyong carrying a large cardboard box. Donghyuck had to repress a giggle when he noticed it was full of dried noodles, thinking back to his conversation with Mark on the night of Renjun’s birthday.

“That’s it,” Taeyong suddenly said, arms crossed intimidatingly. “Tell me what’s going on with you or I’ll tell dad about your internet search history.”

“W-what? I have no idea what you’re talking about,” he spluttered defensively, make a move to leave the room, only to be stopped by Taeyong’s outstretched arms. It only took a few seconds under Taeyong’s withering glare for Donghyuck to break. He truly was a weak man.

“Okay, fine,” he sighed, hands raised in surrender. Taeyong dropped his arm, a pleased look on his face. It was wiped away as soon as Donghyuck spoke.

“I kissed Mark Lee.”

Silence. Deafening silence. Taeyong didn’t say a word, looking completely and utterly shellshocked.

“Did you hear me?” Donghyuck asked exasperatedly.

“You kissed Mark Lee?” Taeyong squawked, eyes wide in disbelief.

“Yep.”

“Oh. Like, on purpose?”

“What kind of a question is that? I just told you: _I_ kissed Mark Lee.”

“And you liked it?”

“Well, I guess. I did it more than once.”

“Jesus Christ. What’d you do that for?”

“I wanted to.”

“Do you like him?”

More silence. Donghyuck refused to look his brother in the eye. Taeyong simply nodded, understanding what Donghyuck wasn’t saying.

“Does _he_ like _you_?” Taeyong’s voice was softer now, more careful.

“I think so,” Donghyuck frowned, thinking of the way Mark had held him as they kissed, the way he smiled when they caught eyes, the way he noticed Donghyuck. You wouldn’t do those kinds of things if you didn’t like someone, right?

“Is that why you were locked in the bathroom together at Jaehyun’s?”

“God, no,” Donghyuck laughed incredulously. “That was an accident. And it was before I realised that… _you know_.”

“Yeah, I do.”

“Donghyuck!” It was their father. Neither boy made a move to leave.

“What are you going to do about him,” Taeyong asked, gesturing in the direction of their father’s voice.

Donghyuck sighed, sad and exhausted. “I have no idea.”

Taeyong reached out and pulled Donghyuck into a tight hug. He didn’t say that everything would be fine or that they could work it out, because he wasn’t sure. For once in Donghyuck’s life, he had created a mess that Taeyong couldn’t get him out of.

“Just make sure that you talk to Mark,” Taeyong murmured, gently rubbing Donghyuck’s back as the younger clutched him tightly. “Don’t just push him away because you think you have to. It wouldn’t be fair, on either of you.”

It wouldn’t be fair on either of you if you didn’t give it a chance, was what his words really meant, but Donghyuck understood all the same.

That was all Donghyuck could think of as he, Renjun, Yukhei and Mark, all sat in their shared room after a long day of training.

_Don’t just push him away because you think you have to._

They had just been dismissed by Coach Park who, after all sharing a meal together, told the boys to “go wild” - whatever that meant. Yukhei had seemingly taken it to mean “go get drunk” if the pack of beers he’d brought with him was anything to go buy.

“What the fuck, Yukhei!” Mark exclaimed, watching with anxious excitement as Yukhei threw the drinks onto one of the beds. “What if coach catches us?”

Yukhei let out a booming laugh. “I’ll offer him one too.”

Mark just shook his head in response, not able to come up with a defence because he knew that Yukhei was right.

“I think we deserve it after the torture he put us through today,” the taller boy continued, dropping onto the bed before ripping open the pack and tossing cans to the other three. Donghyuck, being furthest away, fumbled with his can but managed not to drop it. Renjun wasn’t so lucky and let out a dramatic howl of pain when it landed on his foot. Mark and Donghyuck glanced at one another amusedly as Yukhei rushed to Renjun’s aid, frantically asking if the younger wanted ice for his barely injured toe. If Renjun was going to interrogate Donghyuck, then it would only be fair that he return the favour.

Whilst Renjun avidly rejected Yukhei’s insistent medical assistance, Donghyuck opened his can of beer with a satisfying snap. It was tepid and tasted a tad like piss, but Donghyuck didn’t really care; alcohol was alcohol. It couldn’t be any worse than Jaemin’s vanilla vodka at any rate. While he was mid-sip, the bed dipped beside him as Mark sat down, silently cracking open his own beer before taking a large gulp.

Across the room it seemed that Yukhei had finally given up on bombarding Renjun with questionable medical advice and had moved onto telling an animated story that seemed to require a lot of hand gestures, while Renjun listened with rapt attention and wide eyes.

“Cute,” Mark mumbled beside him, and Donghyuck hummed in agreement, watching the dopey grin on Yukhei’s face as Renjun laughed. Donghyuck had to give the man credit – no one had ever made Renjun laugh as much as Yukhei did. Donghyuck would’ve almost been jealous if Renjun didn’t look so damn happy. If only Yukhei didn’t have a girlfriend. Maybe Renjun could find out who his secret admirer was? Surely the card would have some indication as to who it was from.

“I didn’t mean them.”

Donghyuck nearly gave himself whiplash with how quickly he turned to face Mark, who was watching him with a smile that rivalled Yukhei’s. He gulped down some more of his beer, his throat suddenly very dry.

“How much of a lightweight are you?” Donghyuck choked out in an attempt at nonchalance, frowning at his own beer. Mark was either drunk out his face, or Donghyuck was and he was starting to hear things.

Mark’s body began to shake with quiet laughter. “I’m not drunk, Donghyuck. I’m just being honest.”

Thankfully, Donghyuck wasn’t forced to answer. Yukhei and Renjun had moved from the bed nearest the door to the one next to Donghyuck’s, mischievous smiles on their faces.

“I have a proposal,” Yukhei announced, taking a drink from his can as he leaned comfortably against the headrest. “Never have I ever.”

Donghyuck groaned loudly, remembering that the last game he had played ended with him throwing up most of his stomach’s contents after a particularly vicious round in which Donghyuck had drank to every single situation posed (he swore his friends had been conspiring against him that night). Renjun’s evil smile told Donghyuck that his friend was remembering the exact same game.

“Sure, why not.”

Donghyuck stared wide eyed at Mark, surprised at how quickly the older boy had given in. Mark looked back at him without a single ounce of guilt and Donghyuck wanted to scream.

And so, the game commenced. It started off quite tame, with Yukhei confessing to having stolen a chocolate bar when he was ten, and Renjun admitting that he accidentally flushed his sister’s goldfish down the toilet, thinking that it was dead when really it was just asleep. Mark didn’t drink for anything other than Donghyuck’s “Never have I ever been to another country”, and even then, he wasn’t the only one.

Things started to go downhill after they had moved onto their second (or was it third?) beers and the “never have I ever-s” started to become bolder. Donghyuck flushed as he confirmed that his first kiss had been one of his friends (Jeno, on a dare that left them both furiously rubbing their mouths in disgust) and then he had to drink again when Renjun pointedly announced that he’d never been caught while watching decidedly more adult content. Donghyuck didn’t know whether to feel better or worse when Mark also drank to that one, both of their faces shaded furious hues of red.

The worst one though, the one that really put the nail in the proverbial coffin, was when Yukhei effectively silenced the room with an obviously aimed “Never have I ever purposefully locked myself in a bathroom with my crush”. At first, Donghyuck thought it was intended for him, that Yukhei and Renjun had conspired together to embarrass him in front of Mark. The equally as confused look on Renjun’s face, however, told otherwise. Then, out of the corner of his eye, Donghyuck could see Mark raising his can to his mouth and taking a loud sip of beer.

In that moment, Donghyuck swore his heart stopped beating. Ever so slowly, he turned to fully face a completely mortified Mark, who was making a valiant but generally unsuccessful attempt to subtly look anywhere else. To Donghyuck, this was a confirmation of Mark’s guilt. He should’ve been angry, or at least a little upset that Mark had forced them to jump out of a window, risking injury and/or death, but he wasn’t. In fact, Donghyuck wasn’t even remotely annoyed by the trick Mark had pulled if the fluttering of his heart was anything to go by. He could feel a surprised smile growing on his face, but Mark was still refusing to look at him.

“Actually, my foot’s starting to hurt a bit,” Renjun announced loudly, drawing everyone’s attention away from Mark. “Yukhei, come with me. We’re going to get ice.”

Yukhei’s befuddled expression only lasted a few seconds before realisation dawned on his face and he allowed himself to be dragged from the room by Renjun, who was clearly exaggerating a limp with each step. Donghyuck snorted a laugh but was silently grateful for his friend’s ability to read the room, realising that he and Mark needed to talk. The door closed quietly behind them, but Donghyuck could still hear Yukhei’s muffled “I fucked up, didn’t I?” quite clearly.

They sat on the bed silently, each boy waiting for the other to speak up first. It became pretty clear that Mark wasn’t going to start up a conversation any time soon, so Donghyuck decided to take the reins.

“Mark, please look at me,” Donghyuck urged softly as he nudged the older boy gently with his shoulder. For a moment, Donghyuck thought that Mark wasn’t going to say anything at all, and he felt his heart sink to his stomach with the thought that Mark felt like he couldn’t talk to him, didn’t trust him enough to explain.

“I’m sorry.”

It was barely a whisper, but Donghyuck heard it loud and clear in the quiet confines of the room. He could hear the muffled crashing of waves sounding from the nearby beach and a car rumbled past the front of the B&B, but nothing could distract Donghyuck from just how ashamed Mark sounded, how sad he looked.

“What for?” Donghyuck asked, tilting his head so that Mark would finally look at him.

“For forcing you into an uncomfortable situation,” Mark replied, as though it were entirely obvious. “It wasn’t fair of me to do that. I was being selfish.”

“Maybe,” Donghyuck nodded, but he moved his own hand to clasp Mark’s when the older boy seemed to sigh in defeat. “But we’re all allowed to be a little selfish sometimes. And, just to clarify, you didn’t make me uncomfortable. You _don’t_ make me uncomfortable.”

Mark slipped his hand from Donghyuck’s, who began to panic, thinking that he’d read the situation wrong, that Mark didn’t actually feel the same way, that he’d said something stupid. But then, Mark interlocked their fingers and they were holding hands. Properly holding hands, nothing like the tentative hook of their pinkies from that morning. Mark’s palm felt a little tacky with sweat against Donghyuck’s, but Donghyuck was sure his felt the same. He thought that if he searched for it, Mark would be able to feel the way Donghyuck’s pulse pounded, the way his skin buzzed, the way his mouth twitched with a smile.

“I like you,” Mark suddenly blurted out, face red and eyes on Donghyuck, his tongue a little loosened by the alcohol. “If that wasn’t already made clear by what Yukhei said. And, _you know_ …”

“The kiss?” Donghyuck asked tentatively, squeezing Mark’s hand a little tighter. Mark nodded shyly, letting out a relieved sigh.

Donghyuck may have been coming across as reasonably composed, but inside his brain was screaming. Mark Lee liked him! Lee Donghyuck! Mark Lee liked Lee Donghyuck, and Lee Donghyuck liked Mark Lee. It wasn’t supposed to happen, but it had.

“I like you too,” Donghyuck confessed, hesitating slightly before leaning his head against Mark’s shoulder. “If that wasn’t already made clear by, well, _you know_.”

“The kiss?” Mark echoed teasingly, affectionately leaning his own head atop Donghyuck’s.

“Kisses,” Donghyuck corrected, warmth flooding him as he recalled the way he had dramatically returned to give Mark a goodbye kiss. “And no, I meant the fact that I let you ride on the back of my bike despite the fact you weigh the same as a baby elephant.”

“Hey! If I remember correctly, you were the one that offered me the ride,” Mark laughed, lifting his head in the process.

“Whatever,” Donghyuck huffed petulantly, although he knew Mark could easily hear the smile in his voice. “I won’t be making that mistake again.”

Suddenly, Donghyuck felt a finger brush his chin, tilting his head upwards so that he and Mark were facing one another. One side of Mark’s mouth was lifted into a lopsided smile and Donghyuck found himself staring at it intently.

“Not even if I ask you nicely?”

The unexpected coyness of Mark’s words left Donghyuck feeling momentarily shellshocked, eyes wide and mouth dry as their faces seemed to inch closer and closer together.

“It depends,” Donghyuck breathed, his eyes flickering between Mark’s own and his mouth.

“On what?” Mark’s gaze was nowhere near Donghyuck’s and was most definitely in the vicinity of his lips.

“If you say please.”

Donghyuck didn’t fail to hear the hitch in Mark’s breath. They were so close he could probably hear the older boy’s heartbeat if he strained his ears enough.

“Please.”

“If you insist.”

Donghyuck hurriedly closed the last of the space between them and pressed his lips against Mark’s, just like he’d been thinking about doing for the past seven days. He had promised himself that he’d never forget the feeling of Mark’s lips on his own, but it seemed that it was impossible for him to remember just how good it felt, because Donghyuck swore that something about this kiss was so much better than last time. Maybe it was because they were more confident this time, less hesitant about where they put their hands or where they were allowed to touch, how close they were allowed to be. It wasn’t a perfect kiss by any means – the angle was a little awkward with the way they were still sat beside one another – but it was perfect to Donghyuck. Mark’s lips pecked softly at Donghyuck’s, his hand moving from underneath the younger’s chin to rest on his jaw, caressing it tenderly. One of Donghyuck’s own hands still held his empty can of beer, and in an attempt to get closer to Mark, he threw it blindly, causing Mark to let out a small laugh and smile into their kiss as it clattered to the floor. Donghyuck hesitated for only a second before lightly swiping his tongue along Mark’s lower lip, drawing a surprised gasp from the older boy who then scrabbled to draw Donghyuck closer, closer, closer – and then there was a sharp knock at the door.

“We’re back! You better not be naked, or you’ll be hearing from my lawyer!”

Donghyuck and Mark jumped apart at the sound of Renjun’s voice shouting through the door, lips red and chests heaving. In a moment of wordless communication, the two boys decided that pretending to be asleep was the most sensible reaction, switching off the light and slipping under the covers of their respective beds. Donghyuck smiled when he noticed that Mark had chosen the bed next to his, but he quickly shut his eyes as the door clicked open.

“We’re coming in!” Yukhei announced, despite the fact he and Renjun were already halfway into the room. “Oh, looks like they’re asleep,” he added in what could hardly be described as a whisper.

“No, they’re not. They’re faking it,” Renjun snorted, and Donghyuck stilled, not having a clue how Renjun could have possibly figured it out. “But just so you know, this doesn’t mean we won’t be having a very long and very detailed conversation tomorrow, Hyuckie.”

Despite Renjun’s awareness that he wasn’t actually asleep, Donghyuck resolutely refused to acknowledge his friend’s comment and instead rolled over so that his back faced the rest of the room.

At some point, Donghyuck must have actually fallen asleep because by the time he opened his eyes again, the lights were off and loud snores filled the room. Disoriented, Donghyuck reached for his phone, squinting at the glaring screen that told him it was a little past five in the morning. He locked his phone and rolled onto his back with a drawn sigh. It took a few moments for him to realise that it was Yukhei doing all the snoring and, along with the waves crashing against the shore, Donghyuck predicted that he wouldn’t be falling asleep any time soon.

And then there was Mark, lying in the bed mere feet away.

It was pitch black, so dark that Donghyuck could barely see his own hand as he waved it in front of his face, but he couldn’t find it in himself to sleep. He was so painfully aware of every little move Mark made, every breath, every sniffle, every sigh. Donghyuck’s skin tingled. It prickled with goose bumps because he knew Mark was awake. He knew that Mark was watching him, could feel the older boy’s gaze on his face.

Across the room, Yukhei let out a particularly thunderous snore, and Donghyuck found himself struggling to stifle his laughter. It seemed that Mark wasn’t having the same success, his quiet giggles audible even over Yukhei’s snoring. Donghyuck was embarrassed by how endeared he was at the sound (Mark’s laughter, obviously – Yukhei’s snoring was disturbing more than anything else).

“Hey, Mark?” Donghyuck whispered eagerly as he rolled onto his side to face the Mark-shaped lump in the neighbouring bed.

“Yeah?” Mark sounded tired, his voice low and rough with sleep. It made Donghyuck’s heart jump.

“Want to get out of here for a bit?” He cringed at how obviously nervous and uncertain he sounded, but it didn’t last too long, interrupted by Mark’s almost immediate reply.

“Sure,” the older boy whispered, the dopey grin evident in his voice.

As quietly as they could, the two boys slipped out of bed and pulled on their shoes and hoodies, all the while trying not to awaken Yukhei or Renjun. As Donghyuck was struggling to fit his shoe onto his foot, he stumbled and bumped into Mark, almost toppling the older boy over. Even as they were leaving the room, they continued to giggle, not entirely sure what they were finding so funny. At some point in between leaving the room and arriving at the beach, Donghyuck had reached out for Mark’s hand and entangled their fingers. It was strange to Donghyuck, how naturally things seemed to fall into place with Mark. Even though he was supposed to hate Mark, had been born to hate Mark, Donghyuck couldn’t find it in himself to feel bad about what he was doing. Guilty, yes, but bad? Nothing that involved Mark Lee could ever feel bad.

By the time they reached the beach, the beginnings of sunrise were appearing just along the horizon, the faintest tint of pink bleeding into the paling sky.

“Could you not sleep?” Mark asked as they settled down in the cool sand, his shoulder bumping slightly against Donghyuck’s.

“Once I’m awake that’s pretty much it,” Donghyuck explained, squinting out to sea as a dog barked somewhere in the distance. He liked the beach like this; peaceful and quiet, void of any people or disruptions. Sometimes Donghyuck wondered what the world would be like if people just ceased to exist. He thought it would be something like this, foaming waves and golden sands under a rising sun.

Beside him, Mark let out a sigh that sounded like an agreement, his voice soft as he spoke. “I get like that when I’m worried about something. It’s like my brain can’t sleep so it won’t let my body sleep either.”

“It sounds like that happens to you a lot,” Donghyuck commented, leaning his head on Mark’s shoulder, just like he had hours before. It was meant to be comforting, and it seemed to work as Mark’s body relaxed at the gesture, the tension in his shoulders dissipating.

“Yeah, I guess. Mostly over the past few months,” he said, bringing a hand up to fondly brush Donghyuck’s hair. Donghyuck’s heart thumped in his chest at how domestic it all felt. “Actually, it probably had a lot to do with you.”

Donghyuck pulled his head from the comfort of Mark’s shoulder, his expression one of incredulity. “Me?”

Surprisingly, Mark laughed, an affectionate sound that warmed Donghyuck’s soul. “Don’t worry, it’s not your fault, per se, but I think I worried a lot about our – I don’t know – relationship?”

Donghyuck’s heart skipped a beat at that last word.

“I guess it had – _has_ – a lot to do with the whole family rivalry thing,” Mark continued as though he wasn’t changing Donghyuck’s world one word at a time. “Every time I found myself thinking about you in any context other than as my enemy, I felt like I was betraying my entire family history. It probably sounds silly but-”

“No, it doesn’t,” Donghyuck interrupted breathlessly. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “It really, _really_ doesn’t. I’ve been struggling with the exact same thing for months, Mark. Months. Ever since we ended up on the same team, I’ve been feeling guilty about spending time with you, and then I started to not dislike you and I felt guilty about that. It’s even worse now, because now I’ve got actual real-life feelings for you and I don’t know what to do about them, and I don’t know what to do about my dad because all he ever seems to do is complain about your family, and your restaurant and even you-”

Donghyuck didn’t get to finish whatever it was he planned to say because Mark was kissing him. Hard. So hard, in fact, that Donghyuck fell back into the sand, taking a barely surprised Mark down with him.

“God, Donghyuck,” Mark whispered in between kisses. “You don’t even know how much I like you.”

“Tell me,” Donghyuck whispered back. “Tell me how much you like me.”

“So much,” Mark groaned, low in the back of his throat, nipping teasingly at Donghyuck’s bottom lip. “Every time I look at you, I have to hold myself back from doing this.”

“Oh,” Donghyuck gasped, pulling Mark even closer until the older boy was straddling him, his knees resting on either side of Donghyuck’s thighs. Donghyuck slid his hands from where they were clutching the front of Mark’s hoodie to hang around the older boy’s neck, his hands scratching the short hair at his nape. Above Donghyuck, Mark shuddered at the action before breaking the kiss. Just as Donghyuck opened his mouth to let out what would’ve been a rather embarrassing whine of disapproval, Mark’s lips returned, but not to Donghyuck’s own. At a pace much gentler and slower than they had started off with, Mark began to kiss down Donghyuck’s jaw, peppering tender pecks at the juncture where the bone jutted out. Donghyuck couldn’t stifle the quiet moan he let out as Mark’s teeth lightly grazed the patch of skin, before he began moving down to the column of Donghyuck’s neck, covering his skin with sloppy kisses.

Everything about this moment wasn’t necessarily perfect, but to Donghyuck it was. He knew he’d find it hard to forget. To Donghyuck, it was the perfect memory.

♡

The sun had fully risen by the time Donghyuck and Mark arrived back at the B&B, the sky a pretty pastel blue, dotted by the silhouette of flying gulls. The beach had started to awaken just as Donghyuck’s hands had drifted up Mark’s hoodie, something he definitely did not want to be caught doing by a poor, innocent dog walker.

Mark was complaining about the sand in his hair as they entered the room, only for them both to stop abruptly at the sight in front of them.

Renjun and Yukhei were both still asleep, but that wasn’t the strange part, what with it being barely past six o’clock. No, the strangest part was that Renjun and Yukhei were asleep _together_. As in the sharing a bed version of together.

“Are you seeing what I’m seeing,” Donghyuck whispered, watching the way Renjun seemed to shuffle closer to Yukhei, his expression that of both awe and terror.

“Unfortunately,” Mark replied, equally as awestruck.

Suddenly, Renjun’s eyes flickered open and widened upon noticing Donghyuck and Mark staring from where they stood beside the bed. His eyes widened even further as they travelled to Donghyuck’s neck, flickering between him and Mark in horror at their dishevelled hair and pink faces. Then, poor Renjun seemed to notice the compromising position he was in and scrambled to sit up, disentangling himself from (a still sleeping) Yukhei’s iron grip. The three boys all looked between one another, all too shocked to say anything.

Eventually, Renjun broke the silence. “I won’t ask if you don’t.”

Donghyuck and Mark glanced at one another before nodding furiously in agreement.

“I think it would be in all of our best interests if we just forget this morning ever happened,” Renjun added for good measure. Neither Donghyuck nor Mark had any issues with the suggestion, silently nodding yet again.

“Good,” Renjun sighed, before getting up from the bed and hurrying to the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind him.

“What just happened?” Mark asked, eyebrows creased in befuddlement.

“I have no idea,” Donghyuck laughed shortly. The sound seemed to be loud in the quiet of the early morning, too loud, because mere seconds later Yukhei was sat up, rubbing sleep from his eyes.

He eyed Donghyuck and Mark sleepily, clearly confused as to why they were dressed so early in the morning. It was kind of cute, actually. Like watching a puppy awaken from a nap in the sun.

“What’d I miss?” he slurred, blinking slowly as he waited for his brain to catch up.

In the bathroom, the shower turned on, the sound of rushing water spilling into the room.

“You tell me,” Mark sighed, rubbing a hand tiredly across his face as he fell onto his unmade bed.

Donghyuck couldn’t wait for the drive back. Oh, how fun it was going to be. Even the prospect of three uninterrupted hours of Coach Park’s poor rendition of Walking on Sunshine couldn’t ruin it for him.

Walking on sunshine indeed.

♡

“So, did you have a nice, romantic weekend away?”

“Shut up, Taeyong.”

“Because it looks like it, if those marks on your neck are anything to go by.”

“Shut up, Taeyong.”

“D’you get it? _Marks_ on your neck.”

“Prepare to die.”

♡

“So…”

“So…”

Donghyuck and Renjun were sat outside the ice-cream parlour again, having just left the library after several hours of relentless studying. Jeno and Jaemin were still inside, arguing like an old married couple about what flavour they should get to share. Donghyuck didn’t know why they didn’t just get one each – Jaemin’s claim that he only wanted a lick due to being lactose intolerant seemed like a bit of an excuse to get out of paying. Donghyuck could hear Jaemin arguing in favour of mint choc chip but Jeno was vehemently disagreeing with that. Beside him, Renjun let out another sigh.

“So… Mark.”

“So… Yukhei,” Donghyuck countered, licking a drop of melted ice cream from his finger.

“I thought we agreed that you wouldn’t ask,” Renjun huffed, looking wholly uncomfortable. Behind them, Jaemin let out a triumphant cry. Apparently Jeno had given into the younger’s charms. Donghyuck couldn’t blame him.

“Only if you didn’t either,” Donghyuck reminded, his eyebrow raised at Renjun.

Renjun merely scoffed in response. “Oh please, like you’re not going to spill it all anyway.”

“Maybe I will, maybe I won’t,” Donghyuck teased, a somewhat smug smirk spread across his face. “But I won’t tell you a thing until you tell me what’s been going on.”

At first, Renjun stayed silent and Donghyuck started to feel bad, thinking that he’d pushed his friend too far to talk about something he clearly didn’t want to. Just as he was about to open his mouth to rescind his statement, Renjun interrupted.

“It’s… complicated,” he started, scuffing a stone against the ground with his foot. A little girl ran by them, followed by an even littler boy, both of them clutching enormous cones of chocolate ice-cream. Donghyuck stayed quiet, not wanting to force anything out of Renjun.

“He has a girlfriend. Kind of,” Renjun continued, a deep frown tugging at his brows. So Donghyuck had been right. For once he really wished he hadn’t been.

“Kind of?” Donghyuck asked confusedly, not really following.

Renjun sighed, a sad, frustrated sound. “I told you – it’s complicated. It’s his family, they’re really… traditional. They want him to go to university, become something boring like – I don’t know – an accountant, get married, buy a nice house, have kids.”

“Sounds fun,” Donghyuck interjected sarcastically, pulling an amused laugh out of Renjun.

“I don’t think Yukhei would agree,” Renjun argued lightly. “He, uh, he doesn’t want that. Any of it. But, he also doesn’t want to disappoint his parents. When he figured out that his chances of ever getting married to a nice girl were pretty low, he convinced Yuqi to pretend to be his girlfriend. They’ve been friends forever, and she doesn’t mind helping him out, so it all worked out. Well, it did, until…”

“Until you came along,” Donghyuck finished, eyes wide with surprise. Never, not even in the wildest parts of his imagination, could he have ever predicted this. It all sounded like something from a drama or a romance novel, not real life. Not Renjun’s real life. Donghyuck couldn’t believe that all of this had been going on and he hadn’t had a clue.

Well, at least he knew who to tell all of his secrets (definitely not Jaemin, anyway. Or Jeno, for that matter).

“Yeah, I guess,” Renjun nodded, his cheeks uncharacteristically pink. “We’re not dating or anything, not until Yukhei figures out what to tell his parents. Yuqi’s cool with it though. She even invites me to join their so-called dates too. It’s not ideal, but I’ll take what I can get.”

Donghyuck smiled, an all too knowing smile. He knew how it felt to hide, to pretend. Since the overnight retreat, he and Mark had barely seen one another, but this time Donghyuck had made sure to get the older boy’s number. Neither were particularly good texters, but it was nice to know that he could talk to Mark whenever he wanted.

“What about you?” Renjun nudged Donghyuck gently. “I’ve held up my end of the deal, it’s your turn now.”

Donghyuck breathed a laugh, shifting anxiously on the bench. “He’s not my boyfriend, but he’s also not _not_ my boyfriend?”

“I can’t believe that’s all you’re giving me,” Renjun whined playfully. “Do you know how hard it was for me to tell you all about my tragic love story?”

Donghyuck just chuckled, elbowing Renjun in the ribs.

“Well, that was a long queue.”

Jeno’s voice was loud, very obviously announcing his presence and making the other two boys freeze. Donghyuck and Renjun slowly turned in the direction of their friend’s voice to see a smiling Jeno standing alone, clutching a half-eaten cone of mint ice-cream. Donghyuck felt himself relax when he noticed that Jaemin was nowhere to be seen.

“Where’s Jaemin?” Renjun asked, looking visibly nervous. 

“Toilet,” Jeno explained as he moved to sit between his friends on the bench, licking at his ice-cream and proceeding to make a disgusted face, obviously unimpressed by Jaemin’s choice of flavour.

“Ho-how much did you hear?” Donghyuck attempted, surreptitiously clearing his throat.

Jeno smiled. “Not much.”

From the corner of his eye, Donghyuck could see Renjun visibly relax.

His relief didn’t last long.

“But I am glad you finally told Donghyuck about your secret admirer,” Jeno added, bright smile directed at Renjun, whose face had paled considerably and was turning a shade of green that rivalled Jeno’s ice-cream.

“You knew?” Renjun squeaked, looking worryingly close to passing out, throwing up, or both. At the same time.

Jeno didn’t say anything, humming while taking another lick of ice-cream. Donghyuck couldn’t help the loud cackle that tore from his throat at the murderous look on Renjun’s face.

“Don’t worry, Jaemin hasn’t got a clue,” Jeno clarified as if reading Renjun’s mind. It wasn’t particularly difficult, the expression on the older boy’s face proof enough of his thoughts.

“Why don’t I have a clue?”

The three boys froze at the sound of Jaemin’s voice.

“No reason,” they all chorused before resolutely focusing on finishing their ice-creams, even Jeno whose every lick was followed by a grimace.

“Always the dumb blonde,” Jaemin sighed sadly as he sat on the bench, theatrically wiping a non-existent tear from his eye.

“Jaemin, your hair is brown.”

“But I’m a blonde at heart.”

“Just eat your toothpaste ice-cream and shut up.”

♡

Donghyuck liked to think that generally, he was quite intelligent. Except for when he wasn’t.

Case in point:

It was nearing the end of April and the previous night had brought dark rain clouds and a torrential downpour, soaking everything in its wake. Usually this wouldn’t be an issue but Donghyuck had thoughtlessly left his bike outside, leaning it against the gate to the back garden after returning from school, and had awoken to find the chain rusted and the wheels squeaking. Begrudgingly, his father had offered to drive him to school but had insisted that Donghyuck would have to walk home later that afternoon, claiming the restaurant would be too busy to leave at that time. This was a big fat lie – Donghyuck knew that his father secretly watched a makeover show at the same time every weekday and didn’t want to miss it.

As luck would have it, later that afternoon, having just said goodbye to his friends before beginning his long walk home, the heavens reopened and Donghyuck found himself in the midst of yet another April shower. With a miserable sigh he pulled up his hood, stuck in his earphones and started the forty-minute walk through the rain.

Fifteen minutes in and Donghyuck was suitably drenched, his decidedly not waterproof hoodie soaked through to his school shirt, both items of clothing sticking uncomfortably to his skin. Just as Donghyuck was contemplating cancelling his father’s cable subscription, a car appeared in his peripheral vision. Expecting it to pass by, Donghyuck readied himself to be splashed by a wave of puddle water. Not physically – he didn’t have anything he could shield himself with anyway – just mentally preparing himself not to flinch. Apparently, this was all unnecessary when the car slowed down until it was barely moving. If Donghyuck couldn’t still hear the engine running, he would’ve thought it had stopped altogether.

A panicked thought immediately flashed in Donghyuck’s mind: the driver was probably a serial killer, following him home before brutally murdering him. Donghyuck started to walk a little faster, avoiding looking in the car’s direction. From a little behind him, he could hear the recognisable squeak of someone rolling down their window. _Shit_ , what if they had a gun! Donghyuck was a millisecond away from putting his competitive running skills to use when a familiar voice called his name.

“Donghyuck!”

Donghyuck whipped his head around in shock. “Mark?”

His eyebrows raised and his mouth fell open at the sight before him: Mark’s head was hanging out the window of a car that looked even older than Coach Park’s, rain battering against his face and the faded red paint of the vehicle.

“Since when did you have a car?” Donghyuck shouted over the volume of the pouring rain, wiping stray drops from where they clung to his eyelashes.

“Early birthday present,” the older boy called back, smiling proudly as he patted the door tentatively.

Donghyuck wracked his brain, thinking he’d remembered Mark’s birthday wrong. “Isn’t your birthday in August?”

“Yeah, that’s why it’s an _early_ present,” Mark laughed, noticeably shivering when a particularly generous raindrop slipped through the collar of his shirt and ran down his back. “Want a ride?”

Donghyuck didn’t waste a single moment hesitating, sprinting eagerly over to the passenger side, desperate to get out of the rain. It wouldn’t really make a difference at this point, his clothes already stuck to every inch of his body and his shoes squelched with each step, but Donghyuck also wasn’t a huge fan of contracting pneumonia. He sighed happily as he slipped into the car, the heater blasting warm air on his shivering body.

“Why’re you walking home anyway?” Mark asked as Donghyuck put on his seatbelt, shaking his damp hair from his eyes.

“I left my bike out in the rain last night and it got all rusty,” Donghyuck complained with a pout. “Didn’t have enough time to do anything about it this morning, so I’ve been left to face the elements.”

“Just as well I have my new baby,” Mark declared as he pulled away from the side of the road and began driving once more. Rain pattered loudly against the windshield, whose wipers flew furiously back and forth to clear the clinging droplets.

“You can put music on if you want,” he suggested, gesturing towards the centre console. “The CD player doesn’t really work yet, but the radio should be fine.”

“Sure,” Donghyuck laughed, not even surprised that the car still had a CD player. He turned the radio on, listening as it crackled with static, before landing on a station that was clear enough to listen to. Both boys cried out as soon as they recognised the song playing.

“It’s like being in Coach’s car all over again,” Mark groaned over the sound of the music, face scrunching up in disgust as the opening instrumental of _Walking on Sunshine_ belted from the radio.

“Not quite,” Donghyuck giggled mischievously, sending Mark an unnoticed sly look, before opening his mouth and belting out the lyrics with a fervour that rivalled Coach Park’s. Donghyuck’s screeching and Mark’s laughter filled the small car, drowning out the drumming of the rain on the roof.

“I’M WALKING ON SUNSHINE, WOAH! I’M WALKING ON SUNSHINE, WOAH! AND DON’T IT FEEL GOOD!”

It took a few minutes of silent coaxing on Donghyuck’s part, mainly consisting of him holding an invisible microphone in Mark’s direction, but soon the older boy was joining in, both of their voices culminating in a horrifying cacophonic cover of the eighties hit that Coach Park would surely be proud of.

By the time they reached Donghyuck’s house, they had sung along to several more classic chart toppers, Mark’s self-consciousness and Donghyuck’s wet clothes evaporating in the safe haven of the car.

“This was fun,” Donghyuck confessed as Mark pulled up to his street, switching off the car’s engine with an abrupt shudder. “And also the most nauseatingly romantic thing I’ve ever done.”

Mark’s cheeks pinked, and he seemed to hesitate before speaking.

“Go on a date with me.”

Donghyuck choked on his own saliva, taken aback by Mark’s boldness. “What?”

Mark cleared his throat, scratching the back of his neck nervously. “After exams and the championships are over, go on a date with me?”

“O-okay,” Donghyuck stuttered, his face so hot he was sure he could compete with shade of Mark’s car.

Mark’s responding smile turned Donghyuck’s brain to goo. The rain was still pounding down, some cheesy eighties love song barely audible above the sound of it, and Donghyuck wanted to do nothing more than lean across the centre console and kiss Mark senseless. Just as Donghyuck’s resolve was beginning to crumble, his whole world came crashing down with a tap at the window.

The two boys felt their hearts drop at the sight of Donghyuck’s father stood ominously next to the car, peering in through the passenger window. If Donghyuck thought he had seen his father angry before, he had been very, very wrong.

Shit.

♡

The hour that followed was quite possibly the worst of Donghyuck’s life. When he had thought that he would never feel bad if Mark Lee were involved, he hadn’t exactly anticipated this particular scenario. In fact, not one person in the entirety of their town could have predicted any of this.

Donghyuck and Mark stood nervously in the living room of the younger’s house while Donghyuck’s father and Mark’s parents sat on an armchair and its accompanying couch respectively. Donghyuck had never felt so small, withering under the glare of his father, while Mark seemed to be doing much the same as he accidentally met eyes with his mother.

“Would one of you care to explain what exactly is going on?” Donghyuck’s father insisted, gesturing to where the two boys were standing awkwardly next to one another. Donghyuck suddenly felt very far away from Mark despite the mere inches of distance between them.

“Hey, Lee!” Mark’s father interjected angrily, glaring at Donghyuck’s dad. “Let the two boys talk on their own terms. But, yes,” he continued, turning to face the boys. “We would be grateful if you told us. In your own time, of course.”

Donghyuck glanced helplessly at Mark, who was looking equally as distraught. What were they going to tell their parents? There wasn’t much point in lying now – it’s what had got them into this mess in the first place. Maybe, if Donghyuck had been honest with his father and told him about Mark the day he’d joined the team, none of this would be happening. Donghyuck’s heart panged. If he hadn’t lied, he wouldn’t be here.

But he wouldn’t have Mark either.

Donghyuck took a deep breath before speaking.

“I like him.”

“We’re boyfriends.”

Donghyuck stopped breathing. What? Did he hear that right? Were his ears playing tricks on him? Mark Lee… wanted to be his boyfriend? It was like time had stopped, no one saying a single word, not even their fathers. In fact, Donghyuck didn’t think he’d seen his father so silent since, well, ever.

“What?” This time, it was Mark’s mother that spoke, but she sounded more surprised than angry. “Mark, is that true?”

Mark turned his gaze from his parents to Donghyuck, who was still looking at the older boy with his jaw on the floor.

“Yes,” he confessed, his eyes boring into Donghyuck’s with so much certainty that the younger thought his brain was beginning to short circuit. “If that’s okay,” Mark added, cheeks warm and smile uncertain.

Donghyuck nodded mutely, not trusting himself to speak. He glanced back to his father, who still hadn’t said a word since Mark’s dad had pretty much told him to shut up. The strange thing was his father didn’t look angry anymore. He looked sad. He looked… guilty.

“Mark, son,” the elder’s father pleaded. “This is just a joke, isn’t it? You’re not- He’s not- You _can’t_ -”

“I think it would be best if we left.” Mark’s mother interrupted what looked like the beginnings of a brain aneurysm on her husband’s part. For a moment, Mark hesitated, reaching out a hand towards Donghyuck before clearly thinking better of it and agreeing with a nod.

No one said a word as Mark and his family left, Donghyuck receiving only a hopeful glance before the three were out of the door, and Donghyuck was left in stifling silence with his father.

“Dad, I…” Donghyuck trailed off, struggling to find the right words. He eventually settled on a simple: “I’m sorry.”

For a moment, Donghyuck thought that his father wasn’t going to say anything, was going to leave, walk out of the room and never speak to him again. Donghyuck’s head hurt with how hard he was trying not to cry, his eyes burning warningly with unshed tears.

“Me too,” his father eventually breathed, his voice somehow all the louder in the quietness of their living room. “I’m sorry that I made you feel like you couldn’t be honest with me.”

That was it. Donghyuck couldn’t stop the tears from flowing freely, slipping down his face one by one until his body was wracking with the force of his sobs. His father was suddenly in front of him, pulling him into a tight hug, and Donghyuck cried even harder, dampening the collar of his father’s shirt. Donghyuck was vaguely aware of his father murmuring and stroking his hair comfortingly, just like his mother used to do when he was a child.

He didn’t know how long they stood there, how long he cried for, but at some point the rain had stopped and weak sunshine filtered in through the living room window, catching on the raindrops sliding down the glass and making them look like glittering jewels. Donghyuck’s sobs had turned into soft sniffles by the time the door opened, Taeyong coming home from his shift at the restaurant. The older boy barely had a chance to breathe before he froze in the doorway, shellshocked by the sight in front of him.

“I-is everything okay?” Taeyong stuttered cautiously, not sure whether he should leave or stay.

“It will be,” was their father’s answer, murmured into Donghyuck’s hair as he continued to hold him close. “Don’t worry, everything will be just fine.”

The surprise on Taeyong’s face was obvious when their father unwrapped one of his arms, spreading it out in his son’s direction, and soon all three of them were stood in the middle of the living room in a hug, so warm, so comforting, so loving. Donghyuck’s face felt sticky with tears and his heart ached, but it would all be fine as long as the three of them stuck together. It would always be the three of them, no matter who came and went in their lives. It was in rare moments like these that Donghyuck didn’t resent that there were no longer four.

It was all going to be fine.

♡

It was dark and the roads were slick with leftover rainwater and Donghyuck’s bike squeaked obnoxiously as he furiously pedalled as fast as he could, but he couldn’t find it in himself to care about any of those things. He needed to get to Mark. No matter what. The bike shuddered as it dipped into a puddle, icy water splashing against Donghyuck’s bare legs, but he took no notice of the dark patches it created on his grey shorts.

His mind was whirring as quickly as the wheels of his bike as he sped towards Mark’s house. Hearing Mark cry brokenly on the other end of the phone had been jarring for Donghyuck. Mark had never sounded so small, so vulnerable, and Donghyuck hadn’t known what to do other than comfort him. That was why he was now breathlessly throwing his bike onto the grass outside of Mark’s house, cheeks flushed and hair wild. Mark had told him that the back door would be unlocked and, in his desperation to see his boyfriend, Donghyuck had to hold himself back from sprinting around the house. All of the lights were off bar one, pale yellow light filtering through one of the windows on the top floor. Mark’s room.

As silently as possible, Donghyuck pushed down the door handle, opening the door with a soft click before slipping into the house and gently shutting it behind him. It was then that Donghyuck realised that this was the first time he had ever set foot in Mark’s house. He’d seen it in passing over years, cycling past it ever since he was old enough to ride a bike. He didn’t know why, but something about the normality of the hallway made Donghyuck smile. He didn’t know what he’d expected for all those years; cobwebs and coffins? The lair of an evil villain?

Instead, it felt warm and everything smelled faintly of vanilla. Everything smelled faintly of Mark. Donghyuck liked it.

Suddenly, footsteps sounded from the second floor and Donghyuck stilled. Shit. What if it was Mark’s mother? Or, even worse: his father? He didn’t know what to do and instead of making to leave, Donghyuck just stood frozen in the doorway. The stairs creaked as someone began to descend and Donghyuck felt himself begin to panic, his palms sweating as he realised that he had left his phone at home in his rush to leave. The footsteps were getting closer and closer and Donghyuck’s skin tingled with anticipation (not the good kind) and-

Mark’s face appeared, peering over the bannister of the stairs. Donghyuck felt himself let out a relieved breath and a small smile spread across his face. A small amount of yellow light crept from Mark’s room and Donghyuck could make out that Mark was smiling too, but it was much more subdued than Donghyuck’s and his eyes looked red and puffy. Silently, Mark motioned for Donghyuck to follow before disappearing back up the stairs. As quietly as he could, Donghyuck followed, making a valiant attempt at avoiding the worst of the groaning stairs. After a few minor creaks, Donghyuck managed to make it to Mark’s room mostly unscathed, his heart pounding so hard he was scared that Mark’s parents would be able to hear it.

Mark’s room was different from what Donghyuck had expected. In all honesty, he had thought that it would be messy like his own, but he was surprised to find that the only mess here was a pile of clothes on a chair and tangle of wires next to the bed. The room was lit up by a small lamp on Mark’s desk, casting a hazy glow across the room and everything in it, including Mark, who sat in the centre of his bed with a blanked draped across his shoulders. His round eyes were wide, as if he hadn’t actually expected Donghyuck to show up, and Donghyuck felt his heart melt a bit.

“Hi,” Mark whispered weakly, his face tear stained and swollen. Donghyuck still thought he was beautiful.

“Hi,” he whispered back, moving to sit down beside Mark, grimacing slightly as he noticed that the hem of his shorts was still damp with puddle water.

“You can borrow a pair of mines?” Mark suggested, eyeing the dark splotches on Donghyuck’s shorts. Donghyuck shook his head silently, smiling softly. At least Mark wasn’t crying any more. Donghyuck didn’t know what he would’ve done if he was. Cry along with him, probably.

“You sure? I have loads of shorts and we’re about the same height. Look, I-”

Mark’s rambling was cut off as Donghyuck leaned forward, wrapping his arms around the elder and pulling him close. Donghyuck could feel the way Mark’s breath hitched as their chests aligned, his arms floundering slightly before he hesitantly returned the hug.

“Hyuck,” Mark breathed brokenly into Donghyuck’s ear, shuffling even closer. “Hyuck, what do I do?”

“I don’t know,” Donghyuck answered honestly, stroking Mark’s back comfortingly. “I don’t know. I don’t know how to help. I want to. Fuck, Mark, I want to help you. Tell me what you need. What do you need me to do?”

Mark let out a shuddering breath, the warmth of it ghosting over the skin of Donghyuck’s neck. “Just… just hold me? Can you? Can you just hold me for now?”

Donghyuck tugged at Mark, shuffling their bodies until they were lying down and held the elder close to his chest. “Yeah. I can. Whatever you want, I’ll do it.”

♡

It was a little before midnight and Donghyuck was half asleep, rolled up in his duvet like a human burrito. The rain had started up again at some point and it pattered gently against his window like tiny tap shoes. He was exhausted, so extremely exhausted, but he couldn’t sleep. Not after the day he’d had.

Donghyuck had texted Mark a little after a mostly silent dinner with his dad and Taeyong, but he hadn’t replied. Mark still hadn’t even read the text which was quite out of character. Donghyuck often made fun of how quickly Mark replied, how eager he seemed to be to talk to Donghyuck.

Donghyuck wasn’t laughing this time. He couldn’t help but think that something bad had happened. What if Mark’s parents had forbidden him from talking to Donghyuck? From seeing Donghyuck? What if they had to break up before their relationship had barely even begun? Donghyuck was growing worried and he felt anxious nausea swirl in the pit of his stomach, like a dangerous whirlpool.

Then, his phone rang.

Donghyuck scrambled to free his arms from the comfort of his blankets and frantically patted around to find his phone. In his eagerness, Donghyuck nearly dropped it, his hands sweating as he saw Mark’s name flash across the screen.

“Hi,” he exclaimed breathlessly, trying (but completely failing) to sound somewhat nonchalant.

“Hi,” Mark replied, his voice a relieved whisper, as though he had expected Donghyuck to ignore his call.

“A-are you okay?” Donghyuck asked concernedly, gripping his phone tightly as he held it close to his ear, a feeble attempt to feel closer to Mark.

Mark laughed softly. Donghyuck’s heart skipped a beat. “I’m fine. Tired, but fine. You?”

“Good. I’m good.” Donghyuck paused, shuffling a little so that he was lying on his back. Then: “What happened after you left?”

Mark laughed again, but it was less amused than before, more bitter. “I got yelled at. A lot. Mostly by my dad. My mum seemed to be more upset by the fact I hadn’t told her that I like boys than the fact that I like you.”

Donghyuck blushed despite himself. The rain was getting heavier, splashing even louder against the glass of the window. Even over the sound of the worsening weather, Donghyuck could hear Mark let out a defeated sigh.

“My dad really didn’t take it well. Any of it. I honestly thought he was going to try and kick me out at one point. My mum managed to calm him down, but he hasn’t spoken to me in hours. He won’t even look at me.”

Mark’s voice broke and so did Donghyuck’s heart.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered around the lump in his throat as Mark sniffled on the other end of the phone. Donghyuck didn’t think he had any tears left to cry after that afternoon, but it sounded like Mark hadn’t given himself a chance yet, his voice thick with his own tears.

“It’s not your fault, Hyuck. Don’t be sorry,” Mark mumbled, his voice wobbling as he spoke.

“It’s not yours either, Mark,” Donghyuck reminded, his voice soothingly soft in an attempt to comfort his boyfriend. It didn’t work. In an instant, Mark was crying and Donghyuck didn’t know what to do other than listen and try not to let his own tears fall.

“I hate this,” Mark whimpered and Donghyuck let a tear slip. He had never heard Mark sound so helpless. He wished he could see Mark, hold him close, comfort him, wipe his tears, do something. Anything.

Donghyuck swiped furiously at his eyes as he made a decision. Still holding his phone to is ear, Donghyuck untangled himself from his bed sheets and rolled onto the floor with a muffled thud. He told Mark that he was on his way before sprinting down the stairs and out of the house, ignoring his dad’s questions and Taeyong’s quizzical brow. Mark needed him.

No matter what it was, Donghyuck would do it. For Mark, Donghyuck would do anything.

♡

They hadn’t meant to, but at some point during the early hours of the morning the two boys had fallen asleep, curled up against one another in a warm tangle of limbs. Donghyuck was the first to awaken to the sound of birds chirping excitedly outside of the window. The sky looked clear and bright and Donghyuck could practically smell the fresh dampness of the grass after a day of rainfall.

His right arm felt tingly, prickling with pins and needles, and he looked down to find Mark’s head cushioned on his bicep, whose dark hair was fluffy and sleep mussed. Ever so carefully, Donghyuck lifted Mark’s head and extracted his arm, sitting a plush pillow in its place. Despite the gentleness of Donghyuck’s movements, Mark let out a quiet groan, his eyes fluttering open before squinting at the brightness of the sun.

“Sorry,” Donghyuck muttered, wincing at the way Mark rubbed his eyes tiredly. “I did try not to wake you.”

“’S fine,” Mark mumbled sleepily, propping himself up on an elbow. “Time is it?”

Donghyuck squinted at the clock sitting on Mark’s desk, his eyes widening as soon as his brain registered the time.

“Fuck,” he exclaimed, clamping a hand over his mouth when Mark shot him a warning look. Donghyuck had almost forgotten where he was. “Fuck,” he whispered, directing a teasing smile at Mark as he got off the bed and slipped his trainers back on. “I need to get back. Restaurant duties.”

Mark nodded understandingly, sluggishly swinging his legs onto the floor.

“Just go back to sleep,” Donghyuck urged, reaching out to open the door.

“I’ll walk you out first,” Mark offered, reaching out for Donghyuck’s hand. The younger blushed as Mark’s fingers intertwined with his own and hoped that he wouldn’t notice how sweaty Donghyuck’s palm was.

Mark slowly opened his bedroom door, peeking his head out to ensure the coast was clear before tugging at Donghyuck’s arm and leading them out of the room and down the stairs. The house seemed to be just as quiet as it had been the night before and it still smelled sweet.

They made it to the back door without encountering any obstacles (read: Mark’s parents) and Donghyuck slipped out of the back door, leaving Mark with a whispered goodbye and a kiss on the cheek that left both boys with pink cheeks and fluttering hearts.

♡

“Why do you think our parents hate each other so much?”

It was lunchtime and Donghyuck and Mark were sitting on the grass beside the racetrack. Donghyuck and _his boyfriend_ were sitting beside the racetrack. It wasn’t as sunny as Donghyuck would’ve liked, but the air was humid and sticky, like the chocolate that melted on his fingers.

“The whole restaurant thing, I guess,” Donghyuck shrugged, licking smeared chocolate from the side of his mouth. Mark’s eyes traced the motion of Donghyuck’s tongue, but Donghyuck knew he wouldn’t do anything. Not here. Not now.

“I don’t know,” Mark frowned, plucking at the blades of grass with his fingers. “I’ve always thought that there was something more, you know?”

Donghyuck sighed, crushing his chocolate wrapper into a small ball. “I mean, you’re not completely wrong.”

“I’m not?” Mark looked surprised, surprised that Donghyuck knew something he didn’t.

“Well, you know that my mum died a few years back?”

Mark nodded.

“Things were really hard for my dad after that. Running the restaurant alone and looking after two boys, all while planning a funeral wasn’t exactly easy. God, the funeral. It nearly broke him. He was just so angry, but he couldn’t show it, not around me, not around Taeyong, not around our family. Then, your family didn’t turn up. I think my dad kind of used that as an outlet for his anger - hating your parents. It was easier that way. He didn’t have to think about it too much, about why he was angry, or my mum’s death. He could just continue to do what he’d been doing his whole life, but now he had a real reason.”

“Fuck,” Mark breathed out, accidentally tearing up a large handful of grass. “Fuck.”

Donghyuck frowned. Why did Mark look angry? “What is it?”

“I-is that true? Is that- is that why your dad hates mine?” Mark’s words were rushed, heeded by a desperate look in his eyes.

“Um, yeah, I’m pretty sure,” Donghyuck replied, his frown only deepening as Mark frustratedly brushed a hand through his hair.

“Fuck! So your dad thinks that my parents didn’t go to the funeral on purpose? Out of spite?”

“I think so. It’s not like he ever asked them.”

“If he had, if they’d just spoken to one another, then maybe – _maybe_ – all of this, all of the problems we’ve caused, all of the lying, all of the guilt wouldn’t have happened.”

Donghyuck was beyond confused at this point, Mark’s words making little sense to him. “W-what do you mean? Mark, what are you saying?”

“I’m saying that my parents didn’t miss the funeral because they wanted to. They missed it because we weren’t even in the country,” Mark blurted exasperatedly. He wasn’t angry with Donghyuck, but he was angry alright. Furious, even.

Donghyuck blanched, his whole body frozen like a statue. “What?”

“That was the year I went to Canada. My mum’s family live there and my grandma got really sick so we went for a visit and ended up staying a while. Like, a two years kind of while. My parents didn’t even know your mum had died until like a year after the funeral,” Mark explained, rubbing his face aggravatedly.

“Wh- is this true? You’re not lying to me, are you?” Donghyuck was stuttering, his tongue suddenly feeling heavy in his mouth, his brain spinning in his head, his heart pounding in his ears.

“No! Why would I do that?” Mark burst out, his eyes wide with frantic panic.“ Look, you can ask my parents all about it, contact my family in Canada if you must, but it’s true, all of it.”

Donghyuck was beginning to piece things together, Mark’s words finally falling into place. “So, you’re saying that if our families had just spoken to one another that there’s a chance they wouldn’t hate each other so much and there’s a chance that we wouldn’t have had to lie for so long?”

“Yeah, that’s exactly what I’m saying.”

Donghyuck’s heart dropped to his stomach as he threw himself onto the grass. “Fuck.”

♡

After that afternoon at the racetrack, Donghyuck barely had time to even think about what Mark had told him, and more importantly, barely had time to figure out how to tell his father. With exams consuming every hour of Donghyuck’s days, he spent all of his free time eating and sleeping and not much else.

Things were still a little awkward between them, but better than they had been for months. Donghyuck hadn’t even realised how much his guilt had affected their relationship, hadn’t realised that it had caused him to spend less time with his father.

One thing that hadn’t changed, however, was Taeyong’s ability to notice when something was off, and Donghyuck didn’t think he had ever resented his brother’s ability more than he did now.

“I think you’ve done enough studying for today,” Taeyong announced as he marched into Donghyuck’s room before slamming the laptop shut.

“Hey!” Donghyuck complained, trying to open the screen but Taeyong’s hand remained where it was, weighing it down.

Taeyong rolled his eyes. “Honestly, Hyuckie – I’m your brother. I’ve known you your entire life – I probably remember more of it than you do. How many times do I have to tell you: just talk to me. I can tell that something’s bothering you. And it’s not dad. Not anymore. You haven’t got anything to hide.”

“But it _is_ dad,” Donghyuck sighed, frustratedly massaging his temples. “Actually, it’s our entire family. And Mark’s. It’s the Lees. All of them.”

And so, Donghyuck told Taeyong. He told his brother everything.

♡

“So the whole feud has pretty much been baseless for the last twenty years?”

“Pretty much.”

“Jesus. What the hell?”

“Yep.”

“Man, fuck the Canadians.”

“Shut up, Jaemin. The Canadians didn’t do anything wrong!”

“Yes, please just shut your mouth for once.”

“Mark’s technically Canadian. Don’t fuck them. Think about poor Hyuckie.”

“Jeno, I love and appreciate you, but you’re not helping this time. Like, at all.”

“Yeah, Jeno. Don’t be an idiot.”

“Shut up, Jaemin!”

♡

This was it. This what they’d all been waiting for.

Championships.

Families and friends were cheering in the stands, giving their support to the teams through shouts and whistles and applause. Donghyuck’s father and Taeyong were in there somewhere, along with Jaemin and Jeno. Jisung and Chenle from their team last year were stood at the side of the racetrack, sweating in the May sunshine after just running (and winning) their own race. Donghyuck could feel the pent-up adrenaline rushing through his veins, relished in the coolness of the metal baton against the skin of his hand, basked in the beaming sunlight. This was where he was supposed to be. Mark stood several metres in front of him and Donghyuck could see the way his hands jittered restlessly, preparing for the race to start.

A few weeks had passed since the night Donghyuck had spent at Mark’s and a lot had changed in that time.

Donghyuck no longer had to lie about who his teammates were, or where he was going, or who he would be with. In fact, Mark had spent time at Donghyuck’s house on a few occasions, although not for too long. Donghyuck’s father still seemed to be wary of Mark’s presence in his home, but Donghyuck was grateful that he was putting in the effort. One night he had even suggested that Mark stay for dinner, but Donghyuck had shut that down pretty quickly, electing that it was a little too early in his relationship for something of such calibre (really, Donghyuck didn’t think he would be able to endure the awkwardness. He also wasn’t entirely confident that his father wouldn’t poison Mark’s food).

Taeyong had been the one to inform their father of the pointlessness of the Lee families rivalry. Try as he might, Donghyuck had chickened out every single time, unsure of how to word it and scared of his father’s reaction. In the end, their father said nothing, disappeared on a weekend-long fishing trip and came back with a smile on his face. Neither Donghyuck nor Taeyong knew what had happened over that weekend that had made their father so happy, but they didn’t want to question it. Taeyong suggested that there may have been a woman involved. Donghyuck didn’t want to think about that.

And then, there was Mark. Donghyuck was in love with Mark. Donghyuck was so completely in love with Mark and he didn’t know what to do with himself.

In between training, studying, exams and work, Donghyuck spent almost all his spare time with Mark (except from Friday nights. Friday nights were for the boys, as Jaemin would say. The boys would tell Jaemin to shut up). They would text and phone each other constantly, go for drives through the countryside in Mark’s elderly pensioner of a car, eat ice cream on the old bench outside of the parlour, and sneak kisses in Donghyuck’s room before Taeyong got home and began to annoy them.

A lot had changed, but some things had stayed the same.

Mark’s father still wasn’t really speaking to Mark and, despite the fact he tried so hard to hide it, Donghyuck could tell that his boyfriend was hurt. Their relationship had begun with glances, quirks of the mouth and tears. Silently. Donghyuck knew how to read Mark, knew what every expression meant, and that’s what made it so easy for him to understand exactly how Mark felt. The way Mark’s lip wobbled as he told Donghyuck that his father would not be attending championships was all too telling.

It was why Donghyuck was so proud of Mark in this moment. It was why he was so proud of _them_. Not just the two of them, but their team; Donghyuck, Mark, Renjun and Yukhei. All four of them had struggled for the past five months, with things they all knew and things they didn’t. Despite it all, despite all the tears and the heartbreak, the laughter and the kisses, they’d made it.

The loud bang of the pistol rang in the air, sharp and deafening, and Donghyuck ran. He ran towards the gold medal, he ran towards first place, he ran towards the congratulatory cheers and the celebrations. But most of all, Donghyuck ran towards Mark, and that was good enough for him.

♡

“So, I was right. You are _loooovers_.”

“Jaemin, I swear to god – I’m going to shave your eyebrows off one day.”

“I’ll help.”

“Aw no, he’ll look so strange without his eyebrows. Like a naked mole rat.”

“Exactly. Let’s do it.”

“If you’re going to do it anyway, I guess it wouldn’t hurt to ask – Renjunnie, why did Wong Yukhei send you a Valentine’s card?”

“Right, that’s it. Someone hand me a fucking razor.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the end...
> 
> or is it? i'm actually considering writing a sequel to this (probably focusing on luren) so please let me know what you think!
> 
> as always comments and kudos are always appreciated!  
> thank you for reading, i really hope you enjoyed! :)
> 
> 04.10.2020 : minor edits

**Author's Note:**

> sorry if there are any typos in this, i read through it a few times but it's always easy to miss mistakes in your own writing hehe  
> i hope you enjoyed this chapter! i'll try to get the next one finished in the next week or so, but it'll probably be a little shorter than this monstrosity lol  
> comments and kudos are always appreciated :)


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